


Zora

by Dark_Sky



Category: One Piece
Genre: F/M, Fem!Zoro, Genderbending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2017-01-09
Packaged: 2018-08-10 07:38:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 59,726
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7835944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Sky/pseuds/Dark_Sky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Foolish girl, when it comes to being a swordsman, a woman can never claim victory against a true man."<br/>It was never Roronoa Zora's intention to ever let something as trivial as her biological sex determine whether or not she would fulfill her promise and achieve her dream of becoming the Greatest Swordsman in the World. Donning the persona of a man was simple, but keeping her identity secret may prove harder than she first imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there, just to be safe I'll put the disclaimer first.  
> I don't own One Piece in any way shape or form but please enjoy this fic!

' _Foolish girl, when it comes to being a swordsman, a woman can never claim victory against a true man.'_

These words haunted Roronoa Zora even since her father had spat them at her. The daughter of a swordsman, she had been taught the way of the blade from a young age when she asked her father after years of watching him practice. Hidden in the branches of the old oak tree, she had watched with steel grey eyes and studied her father’s movements as his blade swept through the warm spring rains, the cool summer breeze, the crisp autumn wind and the frigid winter snow.

“Father, please teach me the way of the blade.”

Familiar with the eager glint in his daughter’s eyes, the man relented and introduced her to the art of swordsmanship. However, as the years passed, the young girl began challenging local dojos and delivering crushing defeats to her male opponents. When he heard Zora claim that no one could defeat her, not even the strongest boy at the dojos, his rage boiled over.

It was then that he uttered those words. After screaming out a scathing farewell, Zora left her home and traveled from village to village, challenging dojos and training her mind and body to their sharpest. Eventual she came across Koshiro and Kuina who welcomed her into their family.

Training and sparring with Kuina quickly became one of Zora’s favorite past times. But as they grew older, things began to change. The two girls continued to dominate during practice spars, but in the evening, after training, Kuina would confide to Zora her frustration of being a female in a male dominate world. This would open up the old but festering wound Zora’s father had dealt her. Shaking her head, Zora would deny Kuina’s misgivings and claim that one’s sex had no place in determining who was strong and who was weak. Challenging her rival, Zora swore to Kuina that, no matter what, they would upend tradition and claim the title of the Greatest Swordsman in the World as their own. The following day changed everything.

To Zora’s surprise and horror, a couple of the boys from their dojo came upon her while she was training and announced that Kuina was dead. She had fallen down the stairs while looking for a whetstone. After mourning the loss of her dear friend and sister, Zora sought out Koshiro and requested Kuina’s katana, Wadou Ichimonji, stating that she would fulfill the promise the two girls had made after their final duel. Granting Zora’s request, Koshiro wished her well as she left the dojo and began her journey to become the Greatest Swordsman in the World.

Within a few weeks of travelling, Zora understood, much to her frustration and disgust, that few people took a girl with three swords seriously. After suffering years of prejudice, Zora finally snapped and took Wadou to her hair. She slashed at the green locks until she possessed the cut of a young man. Sneering at her bust, Zora bound her breasts and took to speaking in a high tenor instead of her natural low alto. When questioned as she turned in her bounties, Zora would receive her earnings under the name of Roronoa Zoro, a name that would become as infamous as her gender was secret.

There was, of course, the occasional incident where a bounty would accidentally stumble across her secret. Torso slashes soon became the bane of her existence but, if it bled enough, usually her opponent wouldn’t notice. So far there had only been one particularly nasty incident where her opponent had shredded her shirt and then proceeded to leer at her exposed breasts; he had been disposed of promptly.

Zora clenched her fist as she remembered that humiliating lesson. Shaking her head, she headed for the nearest bar, memories like these were best drowned with strong sake.

Slumping down at one of the bar stools, she banged her fist on the bar, “Barkeep, _sake_ , and keep it coming!”

As Zora settle down to drink, screams and shouts echoed from down the road. Grimacing, she stood and wander over to the door, only to see a massive reddish brown wolf terrorizing the townspeople. Already in a foul mood and now utterly pissed off at the world in general, Zora hurled a nearby bar stool at the canine and sent the wolf flying before it could sink its fangs into a cowering little girl.

“Gah! How dare you hurt my dear pet! Who the hell-wait, don’t tell me you’re… _Kaizoku Gari no Zoro_.”

“Yeah, got a problem with that?” snarled Zora, “Your shitty wolf was disturbing the peace.” She sighed, “Is it too much to ask for a damn drink without people making noise?”

The ridiculous looking blonde man, who apparently owned the wolf, waved his saber in her face, “Why-you bastard!”

The man raised his sword and slashed at Zora. Dodging the blade and lodging it in the ceiling with a swift kick to the man’s wrist, Zora drew back her arm and dealt the man a punch that flung him into the wall.

“That’s quite enough.” She drew one of her swords, “I’m already fed up with you and your precious pet,” she nodded towards the wolf

“Wh-what do you think you’re doing?” stuttered the man, “I’ll tell my father, Morgan-taisa, what happened and then they,” he gestured towards the little girl and her mother, “Will be executed for treason against the marines!”

Zora’s eye twitched, “What was that?”

“How about a deal?” said the man, “Instead of executing those two, how about I tie you up for public humiliation for say…a month. If you survive, I’ll let you go free. What do you say?”

Zora pondered this for a moment, “A month you say?” she sheathed her katana, “Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, so, this is my first work and it'd be great if anyone who deems this read worthy could comment. I've been writing pretty fast (approx. 1000 words a day if I have the time) but I could always use advice for what I should add in. For the most part this is going to be following the anime story line but with some cuts. Since this is from Zora's point of view, there will also be some added stuff. If there's anything in particular you want added in that doesn't change the story line too much, feel free to ask me. So yeah, please enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I noticed that I forgot to mention what kind of binding Zora uses. I would assume she's using strips of cloth since the OP-universe probably hasn't invented binders yet. On that note, do NOT just use any old fabric or bandages. Make sure you know what you're doing or get help from someone who does if you don't. Here's a link for those who want to know more. (https://web.archive.org/web/20120906033102/http://www.med.umich.edu/transgender/Binding%20FAQ.pdf)

'Man this blows.' Though Zora as the blonde man ordered his subordinates to "Escort this bastard to the stockyard!" as he so kindly put it

Allowing the marines to take hold of her arms, Zora walked with them down the street towards the marine base. Shells Town was by no means a thriving metropolis, but it was certainly larger that Shimotsuki Village. Feeling rather miffed, Zora 'accidentally' kicked up a pebble that just so happened to strike the wolf-owning, sword-waving idiot dead center in the back of his ridiculous hairstyle.

"By the way," mocked the blonde bastard, "You won't be receiving and food or water from us."

Zora frowned, "So basically your tying me to a post and not giving me anything to eat or drink for a month?" the man nodded pompously, "Whatever floats your soon to be sinking boat."

When they reach the yard next to the base, the son ordered his men to bind Zora to a post int he center of the yard. Eyeing the knots thoughtfully, Zora concluded that escape would be rather difficult unless she somehow manage to acquire some assistance. Before he left, the blonde man delivered a solid kick to Zora's midsection.

"Take that you lousy bastard!"

Thus began Zora's long, somewhat painful, and excruciatingly boring stay at the marine base.

* * *

 

_"Ne, Midori-chan, how would you like to train at my father's dojo?"_

_Zora gaped at the girl who had managed to defeat her, ever since she had left her father's place, no one had managed to defeat her. Yet this other girl had managed what none of her male challengers had. Gritting her teeth, Zora accepted the other girl's hand and pulled herself up._

_"Why are you offering me this?"_

_The other girl smiled, "In a place where boys take up the sword and believe they are men, we need more girls to prove to them that we too are strong when we are entrusted with a blade."_

_"By the way," Zora arched a brow, "who the hell are you?"_

_The other girl laughed, "Oh, of course. I forgot to introduce myself." she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "My name is Kuina. What's yours? I'd feel bad calling you Midori all the time."_

_"I guess I can see why." muttered Zora. Though not very imaginative, Green was a fairly accurate name, "I'm Zora, Roronoa Zora."_

* * *

 

Three weeks passed and Zora, after numerous beatings from the idiot son, began regretting the no sustenance part of their deal, she would never regret saving that child though. Then she heard voices speaking to each other from the top of the prison wall. She glanced over. One was a lanky boy with dark hair and a straw hat while the other was shorter with round, blue glasses and pink hair. Zora paused at that. Then again, it’s not like she could criticize about odd hair colors.

“Hey look, it’s him!” stated the one with the hat

“It can’t be him…holy crap-it’s Roronoa Zoro!” the pink hair one practically shrieked

The other grinned, “Hey Coby, if we untie him then he can escape!”

“Luffy-san, are you insane!?”

Zora chuckled to herself before addressing the two fools, “Hey, you there.” She could practically hear the pink haired one’s heart race, “Get lost, you’re an eyesore.”

Just then, the young girl she had saved, Rika had introduced herself a few weeks ago, appeared at the top of the wall alongside the two boys before scrambling down a rope and into the courtyard where Zora was bound to post.

“Hmm, what is it Rika?”

The girl smiled, “I thought you might be hungry so I made you some _onigiri_. It’s my first time making them so I hope they’re good.”

“Hah, beat it kid,” she lowered her voice, “Who knows when that idiot son might show up.”

“Now, now Roronoa Zoro, bullying little kids?” Zora groaned, the moron had returned, “Though I am surprised you’re still around. I guess you’ve got more fight than I first thought.” Zora grit her teeth, “Oh? What’s this?” the blonde snatched Rika’s rice balls away and swallowed one of them, “Bleh! What the hell is this?! You’re supposed to use salt! Salt!”

“But I thought they would be better sweet.” Whimpered Rika

Zora barely restrained her temper as she watched the man order his subordinate to throw the girl over the wall of the compound. Thankfully the two boys hovering at the wall managed to catch her. As the idiot son left with the other marines, Zora felt herself drifting back into thoughts of her past.

She was back in Shimotsuki, chatting with Kuina as the two of them snacked on the _anko mochi_ Koshiro had gotten them earlier. The dark hair girl was reminding Zora of the gender inequity at the dojo and claiming that it was time for them to do something about the prejudice surrounding them.

‘I must not-no, I cannot die here,’ thought Zora, ‘I must fulfil my promise to her.’

A shadow appeared in front of her, “Oh, it’s you again.”

The straw hat boy grinned, “If I untie you, become my nakama.”

“Huh?”

“I’m looking for nakama for my pirate crew.” Explained the boy, “And you’re joining.”

“Are you nuts?” Zora sneered, “Why would I lower myself to the level of a sea villain?”

“Ahhh, well, I’ve already decided you’re going to be part of my crew.”

“Like hell! Don’t go deciding that stuff on your own you moron!”

“You use katana right?”

Zora frowned, “Yeah, but that baka son took everything I had with me.”

“I’ll go get them back,” promised the boy, “But you have to become my nakama.” He took off running

‘Yeah, yeah, sure.’ thought Zora as she stared at the retreating figure, ‘wait-’ her eyes widened at the boy’s sheer stupidity, “You dumbass! You’re going the wrong way! The base is the other way!”

“Oh- _Gomu Gomu no Rocket_!” Zora’s expression changed to one of disbelief as the boy hurtled past her after extending his arms to inhuman proportions

‘What the fuck is going on?’

* * *

After the boy with the straw hat had launched himself away, Zora wondered what the hell she had gotten herself into. Cross dressing was one thing, cross dressing and keeping her gender secret while living on a ship with others was quite a different story. Her musings were interrupted as the pink hair compatriot of the straw hat boy scurried into the yard and began fiddling with the ropes binding her to the post.

“What are you doing? Do you wanna get yourself killed?” asked Zora

The boy shook his head, “No, I just can’t stand what these marines are doing; I want to be a righteous marine.”

“Leave me.” Demanded Zora, “I only have a few days left; I refuse to go back on my word.”

“They’re going to execute you tomorrow.” Stated the boy, “Helmeppo never intended to let you go free. We over heard and that’s why Luffy-san punched him. Luffy-san is now being chased around the base.” He turned to Zora, “Please help Luffy-san.”

“Hmm…” Zora gazed down at the boy, “Why should I?”

“Because he is the only one who can save you,” the kid gulped,” And I believe that you are the only one who can save him.”

“Hold it right there!”

Captain Morgan along with a small group of marines entered the yard, “The punishment for treason is death. So for your crime you shall both be executed!”

“Ehhhh!”

“Today has been eventful.” Stated Morgan

‘No shit.’ Thought Zora

“Now,” he stared down at the two, “Are you conspiring with Straw Hat against me? The highest ranking officer at this base?”

Zora snorted, “Hah, as if. Sorry, but I fight my own battles.” She arched a brow at the fuming marine captain, “Unlike you who cowers behind his own men.”

“Why you!” Morgan turned to his men, “Take aim!”

Zora braced herself for the feeling of bullets ripping through her flesh while the boy next to her had tears of fear streaming down his face.

“Fire!”

“ _Gomu Gomu no Rocket_!”

“You fool!”

Zora could only watch as the straw hat boy from before rocketed into the yard and flung himself in front of her and the other boy. Much to her shock, when the bullets sank into him, they did not leave behind any holes. Instead, his body seemed to stretch back and, acting like a slingshot, repelled the bullets back towards their owners.

“Who…are you?” wondered Zora

“Monkey D. Luffy.” The boy gave her a crazy grin, “I’m going to become the _Kaizoku-O_!”

“Pirate King?” Zora couldn’t believe this kid, “Are you telling me you plan to seek out the One Piece?”

“Yep. Oh yeah, here’s your katana.” He held out all three, “I didn’t know which was yours so I grabbed all three.”

Zora grinned, “They’re all mine, I practice _Santoryu_.” She glared at the boy, “Give ‘em here.”

“Only if you join my crew.”

“Fine, I’ll join. Now give me my swords and untie me you idiot!”

As Morgan explained Devil Fruits to his surprised subordinates, no one was used to a bullet impervious man, Luffy struggled to undo the knots that lashed Zora to the post.

“Just hand me one of my katanas!” roared Zora as the marines finished their conversation and charged at them, swords drawn.

Once she had shredded the ropes binding her, Zora blocked the incoming attack and halted the marines in their steps.

“Try anything and you’re dead.” Growled Zora as the marines froze in place, she turned to Luffy, “I’ll be your pirate nakama, but remember this! I will always pursue my own ambition. To become the world’s greatest swordsman. If you stand in my way or try to destroy my dream,” she glared at the boy, “I will cut you down where you stand.”

“Ah, world’s greatest eh?” Luffy smiled at her, “I expect no less from the nakama of the future Pirate King!”

“What are you fools doing! Execute them!” bellowed Captain Morgan

“Zoro, duck.” Zora watched as Luffy brought his leg back, “ _Gomu Gomu no Muchi_!” and lashed it out like a bullwhip, taking out every marine Zora had held at bay

“Seriously, what the hell are you?” asked Zora

“Ano, I ate the Gomu Gomu no Mi…I’m a rubber person!” he demonstrated by stretching out his cheek

‘I suppose that explains it.’ Thought Zora, ‘Can’t say I’m too thrilled, but hey, he did get me outta getting shot.’ She noticed that, judging from the marines’ expressions, Captain Morgan had issued another absurd order, ‘I’m done with this shit.’

Luffy charged at the ax-handed man but his punch was blocked by the man’s arm (or lack thereof). He dodged the next swipe of the axe and planted both feet right in the man’s face, sending the man back a few feet. The pair exchanged blows, Luffy dodging the Captain’s and the Captain receiving his, before they were interrupted by Helmeppo. Apparently the idiot son believed holding Coby at gunpoint would dissuade Luffy from continuing to punch his father. Oddly enough, it’d seemed as though Luffy didn’t noticed his friend’s peril.

“Oi,” called Zora, “Luffy.”

Luffy turned towards the pair and, at Coby’s declaration that he would rather die that get in the way of Luffy’s dream, shouted, “ _Gomu Gomu no Pistol_!”

Zora sprinted forward and slashed at Morgan’s torso as Luffy’s fist slammed into Helmeppo’s face…again.

“Ah, thanks.”

“Aye Sencho.” Smirked Zora before sheathing her katanas and turning towards the remaining marines, “Anyone else gonna try anything?”

Much to her surprise, the marines threw down their weapons and began to celebrate their commander’s defeat. Feeling her energy drain from her, Zora collapsed onto her back.

“Ah! Zoro!”

“Urrrggh…” groaned Zora, “so…hungry…”

* * *

_"Oi, leave some for the rest of us!" called some of the boys at the dojo when they saw Kuina and Zora snacking on kinoko no yama_

_"Yada," Zora took Kuina's hand and ran towards the field behind the dojo, "You guy's messed up my training area the other day!"_

_Zora had gone to class and when she returned, found some of the more inexperienced students testing out her training ground. The boulders had slipped free from their ropes, the sakigawa on her shinai had been broken off and the clearing had been covered in bamboo splinters. Hell hath no rage like that of Roronoa Zora when she discovered her training ground desecrated. Even though it had been over a week ago, and even though Zora had dealt with the perpetrators rather harshly, she was not about to forgive the gross misuse of her training ground._

_"Zora, aren't you being a bit harsh?" asked Kuina when the other girl finally stopped dragging her along, "They didn't mean to."_

_"Yeah,come back and tell me that when they try screwing around with Wadou." countered Zora_

_"Ah." Kuina sweatdropped at the younger girl's grimace, "Hey Zora, whatsay we see who can catch the most goldfish at the festival next week? It'd be perfect for practicing hand-eye coordination and reaction timing."_

_Zora's competitive, and somewhat maniacal, grin returned, "You're on!"_

* * *

  
“Ahhh, that was good.” Zora rubbed her satisfied stomach, “Man, not eating for three weeks sure can get to a gir-guy.”

“Ha? You’re already done?” asked Luffy through a mouthful of food

“Ne, how the hell do you eat that much?” asked Zora as Luffy continued to devour the remaining food on the table, “Also, who else is part of the crew?”

“Just you.” Luffy slurped down more of the juice Rika and her mother had provided with lunch

“Hah? You mean…” Zora pointed to Luffy and then to herself, “Are you insane? Since when are two people considered a pirate crew?”

“We’re both strong.” Answered Luffy, as if that justified his bizarre reasoning

Zora knew she would regret asking this, “Ano, where exactly is your ship?”

“Shishishi, over there.” Luffy pointed out the window

Glancing in the direction of his fork, Zora looked out into the harbor. Given that there were no other maritime vessels docked, there was no mistaking which ‘ship’ was Luffy’s.

“You’re shitting me…”

“Nope. But soon we’ll have a huge ship!” Luffy stretched his arms out as far as the enclosed space would let him, which was farther than humanly possible, “And a jolly roger too!”

Coby laughed nervously as Zora resisted the urge to face palm, “Luffy-san lacks the ability to rationally think through anything.”

“And this guy is my captain.” Muttered Zora to herself

“Don’t worry, we’ll have more nakama soon.”

“Where will you be going next?” asked Rika

Luffy smiled at the little girl pulling at his sleeve, “Shishishi, we’re going to sail to the Grand Line!”

Zora choked on saliva while Coby spewed his juice out through his oral and nasal orifices, “Are you mental?!” Coby then went on to explain the geography and history of the Grand Line, “They say that nobody who enters the Grand Line ever comes back alive.” He finished

“Well, I guess that's our next stop, ne Sencho?” asked Zora

Luffy grin back, “Aye, Zoro.”

“Not you too Zoro!” exclaimed Coby, “It’s waaaayyy too dangerous!”

“Eh, it’s not like you’re coming with us.” Zora leaned back in her chair, “Chill, before you give yourself an aneurysm.” She paused and then fixated Coby with a serious look, “Besides, you should probably be more worried about yourself than us. You mentioned something about becoming a marine? Don’t forget, you spent quite a bit of time on that she-whale’s—”

“Alvida” supplied Coby

“—ship. As far as the marines are concerned, you’re a pirate.” She glared at Coby when the boy made to interrupt her, “Do not underestimate the intelligence gathering resources of the marines.”

“Tsude.”

Just then, the group of marines formerly under Captain Morgan’s command entered the tavern. Expressing his gratitude at the Straw Hats’ deposing of the corrupt marine captain, the commander stated that, due to regulations, the pirates must leave Shells Town immediately. Despite the townsfolk’s protests, Luffy stood and, after thanking Rika and her mother for the food, headed for the door with Zora trailing along behind him. The commander questioned why Coby failed to follow the other two, after all, it was assumed that he was part of the group. Zora smirked when Coby slammed his fist into Luffy’s cheek when the rubber man began to elaborate on how Coby had been aboard Alvida’s pirate ship. The two began exchanging blows.

“Oi Sencho, that’s enough.” Zora grasped the back of Luffy’s vest, “It’s time to go.” She dragged him out of the tavern, “Hey,” she glanced at the marine commander, “I doubt we’ll meet again, but this guy here,” she gave Luffy a shake, “is going to become the King of Pirates.” With that she strode away, partly guiding, but mostly dragging Luffy with her.

* * *

As the two made their way down to the dock, Zora turned to her new captain, “Nice act, but I doubt it’ll fool them forever.”

“Nah,” Luffy folded his arms behind his head, “Coby’s got it covered.”

“Well, at least we don’t have to worry about anyone following us. Now that we’re pirates everyone hates us.”

“Luffy-san!” Coby saluted the two as he ran towards the docks, “Arigato Luffy-san!”

“Well, I’m sure we’ll see each other again.” Stated Zora, “This guy isn’t thee kinda guy you can get rid of easily.” She set her had on Luffy’s head, “Ne, Sencho?”

“Jane!” shouted Luffy as he and Zora set sail for their next destination, waving to Rika, her mother, Coby and the marines who had gathered at the docks to salute them farewell.

As the wind filled the sail, and the dinghy, it was much to pathetic to be called a ship, set sail, Luffy turned to Zora, “Our first adventures as nakama!”

“Aye,” Zora grinned, “I’m sure it’s gonna be one hell of an adventure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said earlier, most of the story will follow the anime timeline. There will some cuts with Zora's childhood and pre-Mugiwara memories (You'll know them when you see them). Also, updates might not always be a new chapter, some will be add-ons to previous chapters. If you feel like you've missed something, make sure to check older chapters. So yeah, please enjoy and please comment!


	3. Chapter 3

“Ahhhhhh,” Zora cracked an eye open at the loud whine, “Zoooorrrroooo, I’m hungry!”

“Tch, that’s what happens when you scarf down all the food before we get the chance to restock.” Stated Zora as she sat up, Luffy gave her a blank stare, “Hmm? What is it?”

“Why are you dressing like a guy?”

Zora would later claim it was an automatic reaction to the question, but Luffy would complain about the solid blow to the head for hours. Let it be known that Roronoa Zora did not react kindly to her secret being exposed.

“Wah! Zoorrooo! Why’d you hit me!” Luffy gingerly toughed the lump now present on his forehead, “All I asked was—”

“Quiet you fool!” hissed Zora, “What if someone heard you?” she checked their surroundings before turning back to the pouting captain, “Look, I have my reasons. Just—don’t tell any crew members we might gather later ok?” she gave Luffy a pleading look that was quickly followed by her usual murderous expression, “Lemme rephrase that—tell anyone and I’ll slice you into rubber bands.” Her hand gripped _Wadou_ menacingly

“Mah, I don’t see what the problem is,” huffed Luffy, “It’s not like boobs make you weak or anything.”

“Luffy, have you ever heard of a swordswoman?”

“No.”

“Exactly. I made a promise, one that I intend to keep. My dream is to become the strongest swordsman in the world…I can’t do that as a woman.”

“That’s dumb.”

Zora chuckled, “Yeah, well, people are dumb.” She ruffled his hair, "You don't mind that you're swordsman is a girl do you?"

"Can you cook?" Zora smacked him, "Itai, what was that for!"

"One, don't be sexist. And two," she lowered her voice, "I can't cook..." mumbled Zora

"Hmm?" Luffy couldn't make out the words

"I said I can't cook!"

* * *

_"Zora, help make dinner would you?" complained Kuina as she rinsed some lettuce, "Otousan said he'd be late coming back from the meeting. He said to start dinner without him."_

_"Ask one of the guys." grumbled Zora_

_Kuina whacked her on the head with a spatula, "Hey, you need to learn how to cook eventually."_

_"Why? So I can be someone's damn housewife?" snapped Zora, "I can't cook and I have no intention of every learning to be someone's maid!"_

_"I meant so you can cook food and not have to always pay for crappy tavern food!"_ _Kuina groaned, "Just slice the carrots would you?"_

_Unfortunately, Kuina had yet to learn that, though capable with a sword, Zora was horrible at anything culinary related, chopping vegetables included. When she turned to check on her adoptive sister, Kuina's jaw dropped. On the cutting board in front of Zora lay some kind of orange mush, ribbons of what used to be something green and some white stuff that might have been a radish._

_"What the hell?"_

_Zora shrugged, "I told you I can't cook."_

* * *

 

"Anyway," Zora decided to change the subject, "Think you can keep my secret?"

"Ano..."

"Tell ya what, you keep my secret and I’ll share all of my meals with you—”

“Deal!”

“Anyway, when are we going to get to the next island?”

Luffy shrugged, “Who knows. We will though…eventually.”

Zora felt her blood pressure rise again, “Are you telling me that you, the one who dreams of becoming the king of pirates, know squat about navigation?!”

“I thought you would know.” Complained Luffy, “You’re the bounty hunter who travels around hunting down pirates.”

“I don’t recall ever saying I was a bounty hunter,” replied Zora, “I set out to sea to find a certain man. And couldn’t find my way back to the village. I took up bounty hunting so I could pay for food and lodging if there was any.”

“So you got lost.”

“Shut up,” Zora slammed her heel down onto the floor of the boat, “People gave me shitty directions!”

The boat rocked and as he fought to keep his balance, Luffy’s straw hat got caught in the breeze and drifted up towards the sail.

“Boshi!”

Luffy scrambled after the hat and Zora, after almost capsizing the boat, manage to snag it from the air and place it back on the rubber man’s head.

“If you’re not careful the wind will steal it.” She smiled, “It’s important to you right?”

“Yeah,” Luffy adjust his hat so that it was wedged firmly onto his head, “It’s my treasure that Shanks gave me. Some day when I’m a great pirate I’ll return it to him.”

“I see.” Zora sat back, “Man, I’m hungry.” Her stomach growled as if to reinforce her complaint

Luffy tilted his up and gazed as the sky, “Bird.”

“And how, may I ask, can we eat it if we can’t catch it hmm?”

“Oh, leave that to me.” Luffy grinned, “MEAT!” he stretched his arms up to the sail’s yard, “ _Gomu Gomu no Rocket_!”

“There goes the bird.” The bird flew by, “There goes Luffy.” She watched as the he launched himself at the avian,” Somehow Luffy managed to land in the bird’s beak and, with no hesitation, the bird began flying off with him, “There—GOES MY IDIOT CAPTAIN!” Zora grabbed the oars and began rowing furiously after the bird, “SENCHO, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!”

“ _TASUKETE_!”

“YOU IDIOT!”

“Hey, stop the boat!” Zora glance behind her and noticed a trio of men drifting in the water, “Please help us!”

“I don’t have time for this,” muttered Zora to herself, “I can’t stop, if you wanna get on grab hold when I go past!

The trio did just that.

“I can’t believe you actually go on.” Commented Zora

“Oi, stop the damn boat.” One of the men drew a cutlass, “We’ll be commandeering this ship in the name of Buggy the Clown.”

Zora gave them a murderous glare, “Excuse me?”

Shifting onto her hip, she lashed out her leg and caught the hilt of the cutlass with her boot, sending it overboard with a splash. Then, without pausing in her rowing, slammed her foot down onto the leader’s head.

“I think it’s time you started rowing.” The trio shivered at the woman’s maniacal grin

* * *

“We’re terribly sorry.” Apologized the rather beaten up leader of the trio, “We had no idea you were the famous _Kaizoku Gari no Zoro_.”

“Just keep rowing.” Growled Zora, “Thanks to you I lost sight of my captain.”

She gazed at the sky, ‘If I know Luffy, he should be able to get himself down somehow. I have a feeling we’ll run into him when we find land.’

“We’re in deep shit when Buggy-sencho finds out we lost the map and the ship.” Whimpered on of the trio

“Who the fuck is this Buggy guy you keep mentioning?” asked Zora

The trio gaped, “You’ve never heard of Buggy the Clown?” Zora shook her head, “He’s the captain of our crew and a Akuma no Mi user.”

“Souka, I’ll keep that in mind.” Zora frowned as she noticed the boat's speed decrease, “KEEP ROWING!”

* * *

When they reached land, Zora tied off the boat and sent a menacing glare at the trio, “Steal the boat and I will hunt you down.” She then saw a giant explosion envelope part of the town, “What the fuck was that?”

The trio trembled behind her, “That was one of Buggy-sencho’s Buggy Balls.”

“So it’s basically a glorified bomb.” The trio nodded, “Che, figures.” She walked off

Searching the town, Zora could have sworn she had walked past that shop before. Cursing her captain, she followed the sounds of partying that she heard from the rooftops. Skipping from roof to roof, she eventually found what she was looking for. Zora found her captain, but not in a state she expected. Then again, seeing her captain bound by a length of rope and sitting cross-legged in a barred cage was not something she typically came across. Taking in the situation, she darted forward and blocked the group attack aimed for the orange haired girl standing behind the cannon pointed at Luffy. The girl was the same one she had noticed when Luffy had departed with her from Shells Town.

“Ganging up on a girl isn’t very nice ya know.” Zora had been kind and kept her katana sheathed, “Maybe you should take some lessons in courtesy.” She turned to the girl, “Are you hurt?”

“N-no.”

“Good.” Sighing, Zora addressed her captain, “Sencho, what the hell are you doing? First you take off and get kidnapped by a bird, and now you’re sitting in a cage like some pet or something.”

“Ah, Zoro! Save me please.” Zora could barely believe how casual Luffy was being, though she had a feeling she would become quite used to his antics.

“D-did he say Zoro?”

“As in _Kaizoku Gari no Zoro_?”

Zora ignored them and began making her way towards Luffy.

“So you’re _Kaizoku Gari no Zoro_.” Sneered Buggy, “Are you here to collect my bounty?”

“Nope, not interested.” Yawned Zora

“Well, _I’m_ interested in _you_.” Stated the clown pirate, “If I kill you, my name will rise to fame!”

Zora glared at him, “I wouldn’t recommend trying. You’ll only get yourself killed.”

“Gyahahahaha!” Buggy armed himself with a set of knives

“Well, looks like I can’t talk you out of this.” Muttered Zora as she unsheathed all three katana, “Do your worst.”

“Flashily die you bastard!” cackled Buggy as he flew towards Zora

Seeing an opening, Zora charge forward, swords drawn, and, with a flick of her wrist, neatly severed the clowns hand at the wrist and leg at the thigh. She sheathed her swords.

Frowning she turned towards the body, “Didn’t even bother to dodge.” She murmured as the clown’s crew began snickering and sneering, “What’s so funny?”

“Zoro!”

As she began turning towards her captain’s voice, Zora felt a blade slide into her flesh. Eyes flitting down, she saw one of Buggy’s blades protruding from her side.

‘What the hell?’ though Zora as she fell to her knees, as the knife slid out she slowly twisted around, “What was that?”

“I ate the Bara Bara no Mi.” stated Buggy, “I’m a splitting man, cutting me is useless!”

“How can—I thought the Akuma no Mi were just a myth.” Stated the orange haired girl

“Splitting man?” asked Luffy, “Is he a demon?”

‘Ah irony, how I hate thee…’ thought Zora

The clown cackled, “I missed any vital organs but that still a pretty serious wound.” He sneered, “This fight is over.”

“Attacking from behind is a dirty move Big Nose!” hollered Luffy

Any cheering that the Buggy Pirates had been making abruptly halted and the orange haired girl threw Luffy an incredulous look. The clown pirate twitched once…twice…then turned to face Luffy.

“Who…are you calling…Big Nose!”

He hurled a knife at the rubber man who, much to Zora’s relief managed to catch the knife between his teeth…somehow.

“Buggy…” Luffy grinned around the knife in his mouth, “…I’m gonna kick your ass.”

“Kick my ass? Gyahahahaha!” Buggy’s gaze alternated between Luffy, Zora and the orange haired girl, “Now, which one of you guys shall I kill first? And how to kill you too?”

“Zoro, run!”

Zora arched a brow before understanding her captain’s command, “Aye, Sencho.” Her swords flashed as she blocked Buggy’s attack and, slicing him in half at the torso, she vaulted over him and sprinted towards Luffy

“Your swords are useless against—don’t ignore me you flashy bastard!” shrieked the clown when he saw Zora’s retreating back

Ducking under the cannon, Zora braced her back against the muzzle and began to lift. Heaving with all of her remaining strength, she flipped the cannon so that the muzzle was facing the Buggy Pirates.

“Light it.” Ordered Zora when she saw the orange haired girl hesitate, “Now!”

“Wait!” Buggy and his subordinate began flailing around like stranded fish, “That thing’s loaded! This is dangerous! Gyaaaaaa!”

As the Buggy Pirates were blasted away by their own cannon, Zora hurried over to Luffy, examined the cage, and promptly tried to heft it onto her back.

“Gah, Zoro! You’re injured!”

‘Way to state the obvious.’ Thought Zora, “Forget it Luffy, I’m doing this my way so shut up and let me concentrate.” She peered over her shoulder, “By the way, who’s the chick?”

“Ah, she’s our navigator.” Somehow Zora got the feeling the other girl was being told her position despite not actually agreeing to join…yet.

“I see.” Zora managed to heave the cage onto her uninjured side’s shoulder, “Lady, move. You’re in the way.”

Ignoring the blood seeping through her haramaki, Zora began the precarious trek down the rooftop towards the road. Making it off the roof was tedious, but when they reached the ground, Zora began dragging the cage alongside her instead of shouldering its weight on her back. Dragging it down a flight of steps, she managed to get to the front stoop of a pet food shop before her knees buckled and she slumped to the ground in exhaustion. Dragging her head up, she noticed a small, scruffy white dog sitting just a few feet from her face.

“What’s with the dog?”

“Shishishi, it’s just sitting here.” Luffy began making faces at the dog

Zora hauled herself over to the shop and brace herself against the porch, “Leave it, it’s just a dog.”

“Gah! OW! OW! OW!! GET IT OFF!” Luffy had begun poking the dog and, not understanding the rules of how to treat animals, was shocked when the dog lunged at him and firmly attached its jaws to his face

“You—this isn’t the time to fool a…round.” Zora barely finished her sentence before keeling over, “Dammit…I lost too much blood…”

“Oh, hi Navigator.”

The girl smiled, “Thanks for earlier. I think you might find this useful.”

Zora heard the sound of a metal key clink against the road. Apparently the other girl understood debts and paying them back. As the girl explained that they were now even, Zora glance over to see the dog snatch up the key before Luffy could reach it. Much to the surprise of one and horror of the other two, the dog snapped its jaws shut and proceeded to swallow the key. It would have been comical had they not been in need of that key.

“Dammit! Give it back! Give it back! Give it back!” Luffy began throttling the dog in an effort to retrieve the consumed key

“Hey! Leave Chouchou alone!”

“Who are you _oyaji_? Asked Zora as an old man approached the trio

“I’m the mayor of this town.” Stated the man, “Who are _you_?” then he noticed the blood seeping through Zora’s shirt and haramaki, “My, that’s quite a serious wound you have there. Did you perhaps run into Buggy?”

“It’s fine _oyaji_.” The old man helped Zora across the street, “I’ll be alright with some rest.” She staggered over to the bed before fainting and collapsing onto the mattress.

* * *

_"Arittakeno yume wo kaki atsume. Sagashi mono wo sagashi ni yuku no sa..." sang Zora_

_"Oh, Zora, I didn't know you sang."_

_"Kuina..." Zora paused and turned around, "I...didn't hear you coming."_

_"What song was that?"_

_"We Are." muttered Zora, "My mother used to sing it to me when we did chores, that is, before—" she cut herself off, "Never mind."_

_"We Are." echoed Kuina, she sat down next to the other girl, "I like it."_

_Zora smiled, "I do too. Want me to teach it to you?"_

_"I'd like that."_

* * *

Zora was rudely awakened by a explosive blowing up the house she had been sleeping in. Digging herself out from the rubble, she did an inventory check. Swords, check; boots, check; no injuries other than the one from the clown, check.

“Oi! Zoro, are you alright?!”

“What a rude awakening.” Muttered Zora, “Urgh, still…so…tired…”

She watched as the Mayor’s frustration began to build and morph into rage. Declaring that he was done with Buggy’s destruction of the town, the old man fought against the orange haired girl’s hold before breaking free and running off to face down the clown pirate.

“Don’t worry,” chided Luffy as the girl scolded him for allowing the old man to leave, “I won’t let him die.”

Zora sighed, “Guess that’s an order eh?” she untied her bandanna from her shoulder and tied it around her head

“Don’t tell me you’re going too. You’re injured!”

“Hah,” Zora tightened her bandanna, “a physical injury if nothing compared to the injury of a—one’s pride if they turn tail and run. That’s defeat before the fight can even begin!”

“You testosterone filled idiots!” cried the girl, “Fine! Go die, see if I care.”

‘Heh, that’s funny.’ Thought Zora, ‘If only you knew my testosterone to estrogen ratio.’

“Neh, I’m going to get that map back so we can go to the Grand Line.” Claimed Luffy, “Nami, be our navigator.”

“I refuse to be a pirate.” Stated the girl, Zora now knew her name was Nami, “But I don’t see why we can’t join forces for now.”

Zora sighed, “Shouldn’t we be going after that mayor?”

“Ah, yeah.” Luffy ran off, “Wait for us _oyaji_!”

Following her captain as a more leisurely pace, Zora caught up to the rubber man as he intercepted Buggy’s detached hand and the old man’s throat.

Holding the severed hand aloft, Luffy shouted at Buggy, “As I promised before, I’m gonna kick your ass!”

“You flashy bastard!” Buggy recalled his hand, “Mugiwara, how dare you come back and challenge me!”

Nami turned to Zora, “Remember, all I want is the map and the treasure.”

“I know.” Replied Zora in a clipped tone, “You’ve mentioned that before.”

The old man struggled to his feet and, annoyed by their interference, demanded that Luffy and the other two stay out of the confrontation. This was his town and as mayor, it was his responsibility to rid the town of Buggy and his crew. Zora barely batted an eye when Nami gasped as Luffy pulled back his arm and, collateral damaged be damned, slammed the old man face first into the wall of a nearby building.

“Wh-why did you do that?!” demanded Nami when she saw the old man lose consciousness

“Ah, well…” Luffy dusted his hands off, “He was in the way.” As if that explained everything

“Hmm, good idea.” Stated Zora, “He would’ve only gotten himself killed if he tried to fight.” She turned to Nami, “And before you ask, trying to convince him to let us handle this would’ve done nothing.” She glared at the prone form, “Old goats like that never take people under thirty seriously. Ano, what are you doing Luffy?”

The rubber man had taken a few steps forward, sucked in a huge breath and, to Nami’s horror, Zora’s amusement and Buggy’s rage, bellowed, “BIG NOSE!”

“Why you—fire the Buggy Ball!”

“Ahhh, why did you do that!” Nami ran off to the side

“Luffy, run!” shouted Zora

Luffy grinned back at her, “That won’t work on me.” He inhaled, “ _Gomu Gomu no Fusen_!”

Zora gaped as Luffy’s body expanded with the air and, thanks to his rubber abilities, bounced the explosive back towards the clown pirate.

 “Yosh, bullseye!”

“What the hell was that?!”

Zora walked over and smacked Luffy upside the head, “Warn us beforehand dammit!” she locked eyes with Nami, “Before you ask, this moron ate an Akuma no Mi. He’s made of rubber.”

Just then, a man wearing a strange, white, bear like hat burst out of the rubble left of the house Buggy had been standing on before the explosion. Waving his arms frantically, he proceeded to warn Buggy about Luffy’s rubber abilities. Then another man emerged from the debris.

“Kabaji, what did you do to Ritchie!” shouted the first man at the second

“Oh this cat?” the second held up a giant green lion, “I didn’t wish to dirty my clothes—so I used it as a shield.”

The first man lunged at Kabaji only to be kicked in the face and shot towards Zora and the other two. Calling for Luffy to get out of the way, the man flailed as he sailed through the air. Stating that he didn’t intend to move and that the apparent beast-tamer was the one in the way, Luffy drew back his leg and swatted the man away with a kick that sent his crashing into yet another building. Zora idly wondered if the mayor would notice the increasingly disturbing amount of collateral damage done to the town.

“Buggy-sencho, please allow me to handle these jokers.”

The clown pirate granted the man a sinister grin, “Go ahead Kabaji, show them your acrobatics!”

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Kabaji the Acrobat, Chief of Staff of the Buggy Pirates.” Said the man as he charged towards the trio on a unicycle of all thing, “Buggy-sencho has entrusted me with the task of ridding himself of you pests. Now die!”

Kabaji lunged forward with his sword, only to have it block by Zora.

“A swordsman eh?” Zora smirked, “I guess that makes you my opponent.”

“Oi, Zoro, shouldn’t you be resting?” asked Luffy, “That wound Buggy gave you earlier…”

“Silence.” Hissed Zora, “Let me handle this.” She glared at the rubber man, “Don’t interfere.”

“ _Kyokugi! Kaji Oyaji_!”

Zora bit back a scream as the flames spewing from the man’s mouth licked at her face. The man lashed out and Zora felt her side explode in pain as a kick connected solidly with her previous injury. This time she could hold back her scream and fell to the ground, clutching her side in agony.

“Why you—” Luffy drew back his arm, “ _Gomu Gomu no_ —”

“Stay out of this Luffy.” Zora hissed through her teeth, “This one is mine!”

“ _Kyokugi! Yukemuri Satsujin Jiken_!”

“Tch, that’s just dust.” Sneered Zora as Kabaji spun his sword to create a whirlwind of dust, “ _Ahhhh_!” she had brought her swords up in time to block, but once again pain laced her side as the man’s kick connected

“Well this is a disappointment,” sneered Kabaji, “To think such a fine swordsman would be taken down so easily.” He cocked his sword before lowering it again, “Prepare to die! Roronoa Zoro!”

“Bastard.” Zora struggle to her feet, “Does aiming for my wound bring you amusement or something?” lowering her swords, she allowed the man’s next jab to clip her side, “You done?” she turned around to face him, “Now I’ll show you the difference between you and I.” she unsheathed _Wadou_ and placed the _tsuka_ in her mouth, “It would be laughable if the future Greatest Swordsman in the World lost to a fool like you.”

“Why you— _Kyokugi! Kamikaze Hyakkoma Gekijo!_ ”

Zora narrowed her eyes as the man flung a handful of tops at her. Frowning, she neatly sliced each projectile in half. Kabaji the cycled up a nearby wall and sent himself airborne above her head. Flipping his sword, the acrobat began his descent, aiming to stab Zora from above.

” _Bara Bara Hou_!” Buggy’s hand detached and made to restrain Zora

“Oi, leave Zoro alone!” shouted Luffy as he stamped down on the hand, “This is her fight!”

Much to Zora’s relief, neither the clown pirates nor the navigator seemed to noticed Luffy’s pronoun slip up. Executing a rather painful shoulder roll to dodge the incoming blade, Zora nodded in thanks before turning her attention back to the acrobatic clown.

“Hah, I don’t need my captain’s help to take down someone like you.” Bragged Kabaji

“Good grief, shut the fuck up.” Grumbled Zora, “I’m tired.”

“Giving up? Wise choice.” Sneered the man, “I’m surprised you’ve managed to avoid death what with that wound and all.”

“I’m saying that I’m tired of all you fucking acrobatic shit.” Snapped Zora, readying her katanas, “ _Oni Giri_!” as the acrobat charged her, Zora dashed forward and slashed Kabaji across the chest.

“How?” gasped the man as he sank to the ground, “Defeated…by a bunch of…lowly…thieves…” he fell

Succumbing to her wounds, Zora also slumped to the ground, “Not thieves…” she murmured, “Pirates.” She gave Luffy a tired smile, “Sencho…I’m clocking out.”

As her eyes slid closed, Zora heard her captain promise that he would finish up and “Kick that big nose’s ass” as he so eloquently put it.

* * *

_“Zora, I here that boy from the dojo has a huge crush on you.”_

_Zora swatted at Kuina as the older girl leaned in to tease her, “You know I don’t have time for boys. I’m training to become the world’s greatest.” She huffed, “And since when did you care?”_

_Kuina smirked, “Since he tried to peek through the window when you and I were changing for practice.”_

_“ ‘s not like there’s anything to see.” Muttered Zora, her breasts were developing, but they weren’t big enough to be noticeable, “Gah! Kuina, what do you think you’re doing?!” she had just noticed that Kuina had been sneaking flower petals into her hair, “Save the girly shit for someone else!” she began chasing Kuina around the yard_

_“Um, Zora-chan…”_

_“Hmm?” Zora stopped trying to catch Kuina and turned towards the voice_

_Standing at the yard entrance, scuffing his feet, was a purple haired boy about Kuina’s age, a year or so older than Zora. Hands behind his back, he was clearly concealing something from view._

_“Oh, Saga-kun, what’s wrong?”_

_“Ano, Kuina-chan,” the boy scratched the back of his head nervously, “Could I have a word with Zora-chan?” Kuina motioned for him to continue, “Privately?” he squeaked_

_“Haha, have fun Zora.” Kuina laughed as she walked away_

_Zora sighed, “What do you want?”_

_The boy stopped shuffling his feet and looked her straight in the eye, “Zora-chan, would you…please be my girl?” he thrust his arm forward and presented Zora with a bouquet of flowers, “I know they aren’t much, but please accept these. They remind me of you.”_

_Carnations, gardenias, a red camelia, a white camelia. Despite not caring for feminine practices, Zora was aware of the meanings of hanakotoba. Passion, secret love, being in love, waiting. If she had one, Zora would have given the boy a yellow tulip to tell him wordlessly that his fascination was one-sided. Instead, she shook her head._

_“Sorry Saga, but I don’t like you in that way.” She shrugged and set a hand on the dejected boy’s shoulder, “I still value you as one of my closest friends though.”_

_“I see.” Saga sighed, “Please let me know if your feelings change.”_

_‘Feelings? I understand the concept of romantic love, but I have never felt it.’ Mused Zora, ‘Perhaps nothing stronger than the love between friends is all I am meant to feel. Romantics never last long in the real world anyway.’ She set about finding her way to the clearing where she had set up some boulders and ropes for weight training._

* * *

Frowning in her sleep, Zora awoke to the touch of a hand tapping her cheek, “Neh, Zoro, time to wake up.”

“Ah, is the fight over already?” she tried to sit up, “Sorry Sencho, but it looks like I won’t be moving for a bit.”

“That’s fine.” Luffy leaned forward so there was only a few inches between their faces, “I got us a map and a navigator.”

“Souka,” Zora smiled

“It’d be amazing if you could move.” Stated Nami, “Anyway, we should probably check on the mayor. Getting slammed into a wall isn’t exactly being kind to the elderly.” At this she sent Luffy a glare which, to Zora’s amusement, he was completely oblivious to.

“Hey you there!” Zora turned and saw a group of townsfolk standing nearby, she was not particularly comfortable with the improvised weapons they seemed to be carrying, “You’re not from around here are—MAYOR!”

The group rushed over to the unconscious man, clamoring on about the ruthlessness of pirate and wondering if the man was alright. Luffy, being the oblivious rubber man that Zora had become quite fond of, found the need to mention that he was the one responsible for the old man’s state of unconsciousness.

“Don’t mention anything about thieves of pirates.” Whispered Nami to Zora

Zora gave her a questioning look, “Why are you telling me this? Sencho’s the one who—”

“We’re pirates.”

“YOU IMBECILE!” shrieked Nami as Zora burst out laughing

“HOW DARE YOU HARM OUR MAYOR AND DESTROY OUR TOWN!” bellowed one of the townsmen

“Now what?” asked Zora as Luffy knelt in from of her, “They sure as hell won’t listen now.”

“Shishi, sorry about this.”

Zora let out an inaudible grunt of surprise as she found herself scooped up bridal style into Luffy’s arms. She allowed her pained body to relax and, as she dully noted that Nami had grabbed the sacks of treasure lying nearby, instinctively wrapped her arms around Luffy’s neck as the rubber man started fleeing the enraged crowd. Suppressing the unfamiliar but strong urge to blush, Zora wondered what caused her to feel so embarrassed. Normally she hated being treated like a woman. If it was one thing Roronoa Zora was not, it was a frail or delicate maiden.

“AFTER THEM!” ordered one of the women

“What is wrong with you people?” wondered Nami aloud and she and Luffy ran

“Gee hee, this is a good town. The villagers are willing to fight for the sake of their town and their mayor.” Stated Luffy, “Turn here.” He bolted around a corner

“W-wait!” Nami ran past the corner and skidded to a stop before following Luffy down the alleyway, “Don’t tell people at the last second!”

The sudden change in direction made Zora’s vision sway and she found herself drifting in and out of consciousness. Trusting Luffy, against her better judgement, to deal with the situation, Zora allowed herself to slip into another bout of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who don't recognize it, the song Zora was singing is the original version of the song We Are! by Hiroshi Kitadani. It's the first opening theme.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, just to let you know, school's going to be starting up soon so updates might be a little less frequent. Still, I have no intention of abandoning this story. I'll do my best to avoid any extended hiatuses too, though school may say otherwise. Don't worry though, Zora will continue her adventures!

Zora awoke to the soft rocking of the boat as it cut through the seawater. Sitting up, she noticed a second boat sailing alongside the one she and Luffy were on. The sail bore the mark of the Buggy Pirates but, Luffy assured her, the only one on board was their navigator, Nami.

“Luffy, what happened?”

“Ah, well…”

“This idiot got us chased all the way back to the docks by that angry mob.” Stated Nami

“Meh, figures.” Zora leaned back against the side of the boat, “Anyway, where to now Sencho?”

“The Grand Line!”

“You idiot!” snapped Nami, “We’re in no shape to go to the Grand Line!”

“I guess you’re right,” Nami nodded, “We need to get some meat, all we’ve been eating is fruit.” Nami’s agreeing smile vanished

“Hmm, sake would be nice.” Commented Zora before an apple smacked her in the forehead, “Dammit, girl, watch where you’re throwing shit.”

“You idiots.” Nami clutched another apple as if she was thinking about hurling it at Luffy or Zora, “The Grand Line is the most dangerous place in the world. These,” she gestured to their ‘ships’, “wouldn’t get us anywhere past the East Blue.” She sighed, “Besides, the pirates in the Grand Line are sure to have more manpower and fire power than we do. There’s no way we’d make it there safely.”

“No problem, we’ll just become friends with them.” Zora resisted the urge to punch her captain, “Either way, we still need a chef and a musician!”

“Musician?” Zora burst out laughing, “What’s he gonna do? Play them a lullaby and hope they fall asleep?”

Nami ignored the two, opting to look at a map, “If we head south, we’ll hit a place called Syrup Village; we can look for a decent ship there.”

“Sounds good, maybe we can stock up on sake while we’re there.”

“Meat!” Luffy began dancing around the boat

“Oi, Sencho, quit rocking the damn boat!” Zora tried to whack the rubber man with one of her _saya_ , “We’re gonna capsize if you keep dancing around like a lunatic!”

* * *

When they reached the shallows, Zora kicked Luffy out of the boat and took it upon herself to land the boat. Who knows what the landing would have been like if she had left it up to Luffy. For all she knew, the boat probably would’ve ended up in a tree.

“Hey Nami, the village is this way right?” Luffy pointed down the path bordered on each side by a sheer cliff face.

“Yeah.” Nami studied the map, “It’s a small village but—”

“They’ll have meat there right? They have to have meat in that village.” Interrupted Luffy as he began drooling at the thought of his favorite comestible

“You two, shut up.” Zora narrowed her eyes and prepared to unsheathe one of her katana, “We aren’t alone.”

“Really? Where? Where?” Luffy began snapping his head back and forth

Zora jerked around, “Careful!”

The moment the words left her mouth, a barrage of pellets exploded at Luffy’s feet. Ignoring her captain’s dance-like dodging, Zora turned her attention to the multiple black flags that had shot up from the underbrush lining the tops of the cliffs. Each had an elongated skull backed by a pair of crossbones; a childish attempt at a pirate’s jolly roger. At a part of the cliff that jutted over the path, a young man with bushy, black hair and a rather prominent nose, appeared and, cackling a rather annoying laugh, announced that he was captain of the Usopp Pirates.

“It is I! The great Captain Usopp!” declared the boy, “I have conquered this village and no one shall ever steal this land from me! You may as well save your strength. For my 80 million men and I will crush you before you even step foot on this island.”

“ _Sugoi!_ ”

“Dumbass.” Murmured Zora as Nami gaped at the rubber man’s gullibility, “How could one man have that many people under him when there aren’t that many people in the East Blue. Also, how the fuck would they all fit on this one, _tiny_ , island?”

“It’s a lie.” Summed up Nami

“Ehhhh!”

Zora paid little attention to the boy as hey swayed back and forth, rambling on about how his lie could have possibly been discovered. Regaining his rather poor composure, the boy admitted that 80 million was a bit of an embellishment, but that he still had a force of ridiculously strong men under his command. Zora snorted in a most un-ladylike way, she doubted the boy had anything more than a couple friends hiding in the bushes. Nami proved her right when a trio of small children fled the scene after the navigator mentioned that the giant force Captain Usopp supposedly had numbered only to three.

“Pachinko eh?” Zora knelt down and picked up a small round object from the sand, “Not much of a pirate are you _Captain_ Usopp.”

“Shishishi, what an interesting fellow.”

‘Of course you would think that Sencho.’ Zora resisted the urge to sweatdrop, ‘Why am I not surprised? _At all_.’

“How dare you laught at me! They call me Usopp the Proud!” claimed the young man, “As you can see, my skill with pachinko outmatches that or the greatest gunman and his pistol!” he aimed an oddly shaped green slingshot at Luffy and, loading it with a pachinko, prepared to fire

“Pistol eh?” the brim of Luffy’s had shadowed his eyes, “Care to bet your life on that?”

Zora smirked and unsheathed about an inch of one of her katana, “This man before you…he’s a real pirate.” She allowed herself a sinister curl of her lip, “Care to test us out?”

After a few moments of hesitation, the young man fell to his knees, “Man, the speech of a real pirate sure is freaking intimidating.”

Luffy and Zora exchanged a look before they both burst out laughing, “All I did was repeat the words of someone I knew.” Admitted Luffy, “Those words weren’t mine, they were Shanks’.”

“Sh-Shanks?” stuttered the young man, “Akagami no Shanks?”

“Yeah, you’re Yasopp’s son aren’t you?”

The young man grinned as he leaned forward and, to no one’s surprise and everyone but the long-nosed boy’s amusement, overbalance and toppled over the edge of the cliff.

“Um, yeah. Yasopp’s the name of my father.” The young man sat up, “How do you know his name?”

Luffy’s stomach chose that moment to let out a monstrous growl.

“Haaaaa, soooooo, hungry!”

“Ano, do you have anywhere to get food?”

* * *

The walk to the tavern was filled with complaining and whining from Luffy about the severe lack of meat aboard the ship. Close to pummeling her captain into the ground, Zora threw the apple she had tucked into her haramaki at the rubber man’s head, praying that it would stall his hunger long enough to supply the group with a few minutes of quiet. Devouring the fruit in one solid bite, Luffy continued to lament his situation until Zora finally gave up and walloped the boy with one of her  _saya_ .

“For fuck’s sake!” she roared, “Shut the fuck up! We’re all hungry so deal with it until we reach the damn tavern!”

“Remind me never to piss him off.” Whispered Usopp to Nami as he saw the swordsman strike the other

“Wah! Zoro, that hurt.”

“Good.” She hooked her katana back onto her haramaki, “Long Nose, how much farther?”

“It’s that building over there with—” Luffy ran off before Usopp could finish, “—the sign that says tavern…”

* * *

Taking the seat across from Luffy, Zora waved a server over and ordered a pint of beer. Nami settle with grilled fish while Luffy ordered any meat dish found on the menu.

“So,” said Usopp, trying to strike up a conversation, “how’d you meet my old man?”

“I met him when Shanks and the other stopped in my hometown.” Mumbled Luffy through a mouthful of roast, “You look just like your dad so I figured you were his son.”

“Really? I never thought my dad would be on his ship!”

“I’m not sure where he is now,” Luffy took another gigantic bite out of the roast, “I think he’s probably still there though. His marksmanship was amazing though.”

Zora just downed her beer as Luffy went on to tell Usopp about the time Yasopp had been blathering on and on about his son and, when Luffy protested, had plunked his mug down on Luffy’s head. Apparently the mug had gotten stuck and Shanks had found the young boy struggling to remove the mug.

“Hey,” Nami daintily dabbed her mouth with her napkin, “Is there anyone here who can provide us with a large ship?” she sighed, “You saw the so-called ships we have.”

“Sorry, but as you can see this village is pretty small.”

“Bullshit,” Zora set her tankard down, “There’s a mansion on top of that hill over there,” she nodded towards the window, “I’m sure someone over there has the resources needed for a ship.”

Nami perked up, “Ne, do you know those people Usopp-kun? Maybe you could ask the to lend us some financial support.”

“No, you can’t go there!” Usopp paused, “Ano…eh heh heh, um, I just remembered I have some urget business to attend to! Jane!” He grabbed his bag, “I know the tavern owner well so feel free to order whatever you like!” he ran out the door

“What’s with him?” wondered Zora as she ordered another beer

“Who cares,” Zora gave her captain a flat look as masticated food fell from his mouth as he spoke, “This meat is really tasty!”

“THE USOPP PIRATE CREW HAS ARRIVE!”

Barging through the tavern door was the trio of boys Luffy, Zora and Nami had seen earlier with Usopp. Wielding short wooden swords, their grandiose entrance left much to be desired.

“What’s this?” Nami peer behind her

“Hey, the captain’s not here.” Stated the purple haired one with the orange head band that look rather carrot-like

“Don’t tell me—” the onion-esque one trailed off

“Pirates!” demanded the trio, “What have you done with Captain Usopp!”

Luffy chose that moment to pat his full stomach in a satisfied manner, “Ahhh, that was some good meat.”

The trio looked so horrified that Zora couldn’t help herself.

Putting on her best sinister grin, she told them, “Oh, him? He was…” the trio stared at her, “…quite…” she could practically see the perspiration gathering on their foreheads, “…delicious.”

“WHAT!” the trio turned to stare at Nami in utter disgust and horror, “AHHHHH! ONIBABA!”

“WHY ARE YOU STARING AT ME!” shrieked Nami

Zora burst out laughing at the navigator’s insulted look. Even though she had spoken the gruesome words, the orange haired girl was the one accused of being a man-eating, old hag. The irony was not lost upon the green haired woman.

It took them quite a while to reassure the three boys that they had just been joking. However, Zora could have done without the solid punch Nami had delivered to the top of her head when she and Luffy practically fell to the floor laughing.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Probably should have mentioned this earlier, but for those who were wondering, a saya is the scabbard for a katana.

“Hey, you sure this is the right way?” asked Nami after they had convinced the trio that she was not a witch and that she was not using them to hunt down Usopp so that she could roast him for dinner

“Well yeah,” the carrot boy pointed up the hill, “The mansion’s at the top of the hill.”

When they reach the top of the hill, a tall fence surrounded the mansion, clearly warning the townsfolk to keep out. The trio explained that if Usopp was not found around the village, chances were that he was visiting the young lady who lived there.

“Sugoi!” exclaimed Luffy as he gazed at the mansion

“Why would we find Long Nose here?” asked Zora impatiently, "From his appearance, I'd say his financial status is the same as ours." she nodded towards Luffy, "Flat out broke."

“He comes here to lie.”

“Good grief.” Nami leaned down to get eye level with the trio, “He shouldn’t lie to people just for the hell of it.”

“But there’s nothing wrong with lying here.” Explained one of the boys, “It’s different when he does it here.”

“How so?”

“The lady who lives there, Lady Kaya, is depressed, so Captain cheers her up with his ridiculous lies.” The trio explained

“So he’s a good guy.” Summarized Luffy

The trio nodded and chorused, “I like the way he—”

“—meddles!”

“—overreacts!”

“—lies!”

“And has the lady cheered up?” questioned Nami

“Aye.”

“Yosh! Let’s ask her for a ship then!” decided Luffy

“But getting in is impossible.” Said the onion boy, “There’s two huge guards there twenty-four seven.”

“So?” Luffy climbed the fence, “Let’s go take a look inside!”

“Wait—”

“Don’t tell me your—”

Before either Nami or Zora could finish, Luffy stretched his arms back and prepared to fire himself over the fence. The trio, along with Nami and Zora, grabbed onto Luffy just before he released the tension in his arms.

“ _Gomu Gomu no Sen’nyu_!”

“DAMN YOU LUFFY!” screamed Nami as she and the others were hurled into the sky

‘Sencho, the gate was only about ten feet high. Why the fuck are we sailing fifty feet off the ground?’ wondered Zora as they began their descent

“Sumimasen!” called Luffy as he hurtled towards Usopp, the other boy was sitting on a tree branch chatting with a lovely young woman with blonde hair and brown eyes.

“Pardon us!” cried the trio

“Entry successful.”

Luffy’s voice was pained and Zora wasn’t sure what she had expected, but she could definitely conclude that a landing on the grass like Nami had would have been preferable to the stone walkway landing she and Luffy endured.

“Luffy…I’mma gonna…kill ya…” groaned Zora as she tried to regain her bearings, she heard someone ask if they were hurt and someone else say something about Usopp and pirates. By the time she cleared her head, Luffy was talking again.

“Actually,” Luffy stood and brushed off his hat, Zora deduced that his lack of injuries were due to his being rubber, “we’re here to ask a favor of you.”

“A favor?” the girl looked surprised, “Of me?”

“Yeah. We need a large ship—”

“You there!” A tall man with slicked back hair and circular glasses strode up to them. Zora glanced at him and deemed him annoying, but overall harmless. In retrospect, the butler’s unique way of adjusting his glasses should have tipped her off that something was up.

“You’re trespassing and causing trouble.” Stated the man

In all honesty, Zora could see where he was coming from. It’s not every day a moron wearing a straw hat barges into a sick girl’s home and then asks her for a ship, completely ignoring the state of her health and the fact that there was a rather prominent gate out front that clearly stated 'Keep Out', even though there was not an actual sign.

“Klahadore.” Stated the young woman

“Who’s this?” asked Luffy

‘Tactless as always Sencho, tactless as always.’ Thought Zora, ‘Though I can’t really say I’m not as blunt. I recall Kuina mentioning that I have the subtlety of a whale in labor.’

Yawning, Zora opted to tune out the butler as he scolded the group and demanded that they leave the premises immediately. Her attention snapped back to the man when he began to insult Usopp’s heritage. Granted, pirates were not exactly welcomed everywhere given that their occupation was an acquired taste. However, there was such thing as common courtesy, not that she herself even care that much about outward appearances. There had been many times that Kuina had smacked her upside the head and ‘reminded’ her to respect the elder students at the dojo.

“SHUT UP!” Zora’s hand went straight for _Wadou_ at Usopp’s shout.

The trio gasped as Usopp sent the butler to the group with a rather pathetic, flailing punch, Zora could have punched better when she was eight.

“You see!” accused the man, “That boy immediately turned to violence. Like father like son. Like all pirates!” he spat

The man went on to insult Usopp's heritage, claiming that pirates were nothing but blasphemous scum whose existence the world was better off without.

“Why you!” Usopp lunged forward and gripped the butler’s collar

“Usopp-san!” the young lady leaned out her window even farther, Zora idly wondered how far she would lean out, she was inches from overbalancing, “Please do not resort to violence again! Klahadore is only looking out for my well-being.” Zora resisted the urge to snort in a most un-ladylike fashion at the girl’s naivety.

When Usopp faltered, the butler slapped his hand away, “Begone from this place. Do not come back to this house again.”

‘Damn, I would’ve decked that bastard.’ Thought Zora, ‘Then again, Sensei did always say I had a temper.’

As Usopp retreated, the trio ran up and began shouting insults at the butler. Zora was surprised that her captain didn’t join in.

“BAKA!” she stood corrected

“And what do you think you’re doing?” asked Zora as she clocked the rubber man on the head

The butler glared at the trio and, in perfect mimicry of their captain, the trio turned tail and cowered behind Nami. Zora wrapped her arms around Luffy’s waist to prevent him from assailing the butler.

“Knock it off you idiot.” She huffed as Luffy elbowed her in the chest, “Hey, watch where you’re aiming.”

“Leave at once!” commanded the man

‘Yeah, yeah, no need to get all hissy.’ Thought Zora as she dragged Luffy off the mansion grounds, trailing after Nami and the trio “Oi, Sencho, quite struggling.”

As she dragged the rubber man away from the mansion, Zora debated whether or not she should have assaulted the butler. His ridicule of Usopp's heritage reminded her of the ridicule she had faced when she turned in her bounties as a woman.

* * *

_"Oi, don't think you can short change me just because I'm a girl!"_

_The marine at the base gave Zora a dismissive wave, "Little girls shouldn't try to turn in Daddy's bounty." he said, "Now run along home or get Daddy or Big Brother to come fetch the bounty."_

_"..."_

_"What was that?" the marine had heard Zora mutter something under her breath but was unable to distinguish the words_

_"I said..." Zora took in a deep breathe, "PAY ME THE FULL GODDAMN BOUNTY YOU SHITTY EXCUSE FOR AN ASSHOLE WITH A FUCKING BIRD HAT!"_

_"...wow," commented the marine sitting at the next desk, "she got you good."_

_The marine in front of Zora grit his teeth, "I must not kill children..."_

_"GIMME MY MONEY YOU SHIT STAIN!"_

_"I must not kill children..."_

_"DO YOU HEAR ME!"_

_"I must not kill children..."  
_

_"OI, CHICKEN SHIT, I TURNED IN A FUCKING BOUNTY SO HAND ME MY FUCKING REWARD!"_

_"THAT'S IT!" the marine rose out of his seat and drew his saber, "Take the damn money," he threw a wad of beli at Zora, "and get the hell out of this office before I cut you in half!_

_"Prick." muttered Zora on her way out_

* * *

 After dragging Luffy a satisfactory distance away from the mansion, Zora sat down at the side of the road, leaning against a fence that Nami perched herself on when she and the trio caught up to them. The moment she had released her grip, Luffy darted away from Zora and went sprinting off somewhere, Zora couldn't care enough to try and find out. Setting her katanas aside, Zora settled down for an afternoon nap.

"Where'd Luffy go?"

Zora yawned, "Who knows, probably went to go find Captain Long Nose." she stretched her arms before folding them behind her head, "Something about following him to the coast or something."

"Hey, what's that?" asked one of the trio, Zora had yet to bother learning their names

Glancing over, Zora saw a strange looking man shuffling towards them, backwards. At being accused of being a "weirdo", as the trio so graciously called him, the man halted in front of Zora and the others, insisting that he was not, in fact, a "weirdo". He claimed to be "just a passing hypnotist". The trio clamored for the man to show them a hypnotist trick and, though his pendulum looked oddly blade like, the man agreed.

"When I say, 'Ichi, ni, Jango!' you shall fall asleep." claimed the man

Zora bit back a laugh when all four of them fell asleep in the middle of the road, hypnotist included.

"Idiots." commented Nami, "Who tries to hypnotize others and then falls asleep themselves?"

"This idiot apparently." Zora crossed her legs, "Should we wake them up?"

Nami smiled deviously, "We could...but how?"

Zora smirked, "Well..." she thought for a moment, "how good is your Usopp imitation?"

"You're the guy, you imitate him."

'Hehe, if only you knew.'

Zora stood over the trio and, inhaling deeply, shouted in her best Usopp impression, "TASUKETE! PIRATES! They're attacking the village and only the Usopp Pirates can stop them!"

Bolting up, the trio scrambled to their feet in an chaotic jumble of limbs. Snickering behind her hand, Nami almost fell off the fence while Zora didn't even bother hiding her laughter at their misfortune. Realizing that the village was not actually under attack, the trio glared at the giggling navigator and the guffawing swordsman. Prioritizing their missing captain over the two laughing pranksters, the trio wondered where Usopp was and what was taking him so long.

"Haa? Captain!" apparently the carrot-like boy spotted Ussop running up the road

Ignoring the group completely, Usopp ran past them with the pace of a man on a mission. He didn't even pause when Nami inquired where Luffy was, they assumed the rubber man had found him given the time the two had been gone.

"Oi, how do we get to the coast?" Zora was an impatient person by nature and the who situation was grating on her nerves. How hard was it to find a person who could get them a ship that actually had sleeping quarters?

"Hey, Captain must've found something out."

"Yeah, we should head to the coast and see if we can find anything."

"It's up to the Usopp Pirates to solve this mystery!"

Zora felt her eye start to twitch, "We," she nodded towards Nami, "already figured that part out. Just tell us were the fucking coast is!"

Jumping to attention, the trio quickly led Zora and Nami to the cliff they had seen when they had first arrived. Kicking at a shard of rock, Zora huffed, of course finding Luffy was easier said than done even though the rubber man was almost always heard before seen. Leaning over the cliff face, Nami commented on how steep the cliff was not that she had a closer view of it.

"Hey, look," Zora wandered over to where Nami was pointing at something at the base of the cliff, "I think that's Luffy's hat."

Zora peered down, "Yup, and there's his ass mooning us..."

Leaping down from ledge to ledge, Zora made her way over to her prone captain. Nami and the trio followed at a slightly slower pace and, when they reached the rubber man, Nami let out a small, horrified gasp.

"He...he fell didn't he?" whispered the girl, "Do you think he died upon impact?"

Zora heard a faint but audible snore, "Nah, check this." she jabbed the rubber man in the thigh with her boot, "Sencho, rise and shine before I shove a rock where it don't."

"Itai..." Luffy sat up and yawned, "Be more careful when waking people up." he looked around, "Oh yeah, the butler guy's gonna kill that lady in the big house."

'So much for subtlety.' thought Zora as the trio of boys proceeded to shrilly voice their disbelief

"That's what he said." stated Luffy, "Me and Usopp heard them talking."

"Anyway, how the hell did you end up sleeping down here?" asked Zora

"Ano..." Luffy adjusted his straw hat, "I don't remember."

When Zora turned back to Nami, the trio had already fled in panic, running off to, presumably, prepare for the impending attack. When Nami suggested they do the same, Luffy began panicking.

"Ah, we have to hurry too! If the ship owners leave there won't be any meat!" Zora brought the  _saya_ of her katana down hard on the rubber man's head

"Now's not the time to be worrying about meat." scolded Nami, "We need to find out what that cat guy is planning so we can avoid him!"

"I guess that means catching up to the three  _chibis_." Zora readjusted her haramaki, "Up and at 'em Sencho." she kicked him again

* * *

The sun was setting when they caught up to the trio, Nami swore never to let Zora lead the way again, and at the crest of the hill the group looked down and saw Usopp. Catching sight of Luffy, the long-nosed man ran over to him, astounded that he was, mostly, unharmed from his fall off the cliff. Any harm sustained was courtesy of Zora and her favorite pair of boots.

"How the—how are you alive?"

"Oh him?" Zora jerked her head towards Luffy, "I just woke him up."

"Hey hey, we need to warn everyone about the attack!" piped up one of the trio

"Wh-what attack?" asked Usopp

Zora could see where this was headed and apparently Nami could too, "Oi,  _chibis_ , time to head home."

"Hah?" the trio gave her with a black stare

"What Zoro is  _trying_ to say," explained Nami, "is that this is something for us adults to handle." the trio frowned, "Don't give me that look. What would your parents think if they saw you trying for fight against a bunch of pirates with lethal weapons?" she placed her hands on her hips, "Run along home now. And don't let me catch you meddling around with the pirates. If you do I'll sic Zoro on you."

Humoring her, Zora fixated the trio with one of her most menacing snarls, narrowing her eyes and curling her lip up into a sneer. The trio, quaking in fear, ran back towards the village, increasing their pace when she reached for  _Wadou_.

"Now," Nami turned to Usopp, "Let me see that arm!"

Zora glared at the young man, "Don't bother hiding it." she reached for his arm, "Hold still and take it like a man!"

Usopp took one look at Zora and fled.

"Oi! Get back here shitty Long Nose!"

* * *

 Finally catching up to Usopp, boy that kid could run away fast, Nami began treating Usopp's gunshot wound as Luffy sat nearby and Zora reclined against the cliff. Tying off the bandage, Nami smacked Usopp upside the head.

Zora addressed Usopp, "We got those kids back home safely. Now," she crossed her arms, "I know the villagers probably won't listen to you because of you habitual lying. However, if this attack is the truth, I have a feeling Sencho will insist we help you." Luffy nodded his head vigorously, "So, what do you plan to do?"

"You're...willing to fight alongside me?"

"Aye," confirmed Luffy, "They have more men and also," he paused for effect, "they're bad guys."

"Scared?" asked Zora

"Of course I'm not scared!" crowed Usopp, "A brave warrior of the sea such as I? Never!" he shaking knees told quite a different story

Nami arched a brow, "Suuuurrree. And your knees are shaking like there's an earthquake?"

Usopp pause before shouting, "Of course I'm scared! It's that butler and all his men!"

"Tch," Zora rolled her eyes, "We can take 'em."

"Zoro's right." chimed in Luffy, "We can definitely beat that penguin!"

"Penguin?"

Luffy blinked, "Yeah, all butler's look like penguins."

"Idiot," sighed Nami, "it's just a uniform."

 


	6. Chapter 6

"Listen carefully," instructed Usopp, "The butler's men are going to attack the village at this coast." he led this up the steep path the had entered from, "This is the only way in so I can guarantee you they'll use it." he stopped and turn back towards the three, "If we can stop them here we can stop them from entering the village."

"Sounds simple enough."

"A little too simple if you ask me." stated Nami, eyeing Luffy's confident grin

"What exactly are your guy's strengths anyway?"

Zora gave him an amused glance, "What do you think?"

"Anything dealing with blades, not dying and," Usopp paused when he got to Nami, "I don't actually know about you." he shrugged, "And I'm good at hiding!"

"You'll be fighting with us, ne?" it sounded like a suggestion but Zora's hand on  _Wadou_ suggested otherwise

"Eheheh...hai."

Zora withdrew back to Luffy's side, "So, what's the plan?"

Usopp motioned to a patch of thick underbrush beside the cliff face, "I have some supplies store over there."

Brushing aside the shrubbery, Zora uncovered a crate of pachinko, a few coils of rope and a large barrel. Kicking it lightly, she heard a faint sloshing sound. Usopp revealed that the barrel contained oil, oil slippery enough that gaining traction would be impossible, especially if on a slope. Motioning Luffy over, Zora picked up the barrel and dumped it into Luffy's arms.

"Go cover the slope."

"Exactly my plan!" bragged Usopp, "When the pirates slip on the oil, we can attack!"

"Oi, what if we slip?"

"Nami, don't be so paranoid." chided Zora, "It can't be that—" Zora was halfway down the slope before Luffy snagged her ankle and pulled her back up, "Nevermind."

Usopp looked out over the sea, "Dawn's breaking. They'll be here soon."

As he finished speaking, a large ship with cat shaped figurehead on its bow landed on the beach. The beach on the other side of the small island.

"Usopp, why aren't they here yet?"

"Maybe they overslept?"

Nami, despite forgetting about it earlier, suddenly recalled a certain detail they had overlooked, "Hey, didn't we land on the other side of the island?"

"Yeah, so what?" asked Zora

"If this is the only way to the village, how did we make it there even though we landed on the opposite side of the island?"

"Shit."

"AHHHHH! I forgot that the north of the island has the exact same landscape!" Usopp began panicking, "It's a short run there, but we used up all the oil I have here!"

"Don't worry, we can still stop them." Luffy took off running, "Follow me!" let it be known that Luffy was horrible at directions

"Hey, wait for me!" cried Nami, "I have to go save my treasure. It's on the ship and we docked where those pirates docked!"

Scrambling to follow, the navigator slipped on the oil spill and, grasping for a handhold, brought Zora down with her when she grabbed on of the other woman's  _saya_. Zora scowled as the orange haired girl resorted to using her as a foothold to escape the oil. When Nami clambered over her and jumped, Zora found herself being shoved down the oil slicked slope.

"Get back here you bitch!"

"Sorry Zoro!" Zora could tell the girl was not sorry in the least, "But I have to go save my treasure!"

'I didn't sign up for this.' thought Zora as she tumbled down the slope towards the beach

* * *

_"Zora, hold still!"_

_"No way is hell!" shouted the green haired girl as she evaded her assailant's grasping hands, "Keep that stuff away from me!"_

_"But Zora, it's matches you perfectly!"_

_Zora gaped at the other girl, "Kuina, how the hell do I resemble a thistle?"_

_"It's green and prickly." stated Kuina bluntly as she tried to tuck the flower behind Zora's ear_

_"Mean." Zora scowled_

_"It's either this or a moss ball."_

_"I'll take the damn flower."_

_"I thought so."_

* * *

Mentally cursing Nami, Zora gave up trying to run up the slope and unsheathed two of her katana,  _not_ including  _Wadou_. Digging them into the ground, she used them to pick her way up the path. At the top, she glanced around before sprinting towards the opposite side of the island, or whichever way left went.

"North, north, north!" There was a familiar voice.

Heading for the source of the voice, Zora quite literally ran into the rubber man, "Oi, Luffy, watch it." she helped him up, "So, you know where this other path is?"

"Usopp said north, which mean whichever way is colder!"

"..."

"..."

"Sounds good to me."

It took them almost fifteen minutes to find the slope which was technically only a two minute run from where they had began. Upon reaching the top, they came upon a group of men with what seemed to be artificial cat ears on their heads. Already in a piss poor mood and not will to wait for any explanation, Zora introduced them all to a swift  _Santoryu: Tatsu Maki_ just as Luffy executed a  _Gomu Gomu no Gatling_.

"Nami!" roared Zora, "Trample me again and I'll kill you!"

"Usopp! Why didn't you tell me which way north was?!" hollered Luffy

 "What took you guys so long?"

Zora glared at Nami, "Hey, I would've been on time if  _someone_ hadn't used me as a fucking stepping stone!" she turned to Luffy, "What's your excuse?"

"He didn't tell me which way is north." the rubber man pointed at Usopp, "His fault."

"Dumbass, north is up."

"Nuh uh, north is where it's colder. How can you go up if you're already on the ground?"

"If north is always colder, explain to me why the South Blue has winter?"

"Both of you shut up!" ordered Nami, "Neither of your explanations make sense."

"Men, are you really going to just lie down and admit defeat?" demanded Jango, "These are children you're dealing with!"

"Excuse me? I'm nineteen and a full fledged adult w-man." muttered Zora

Nami rolled her eyes, "You're point?"

"Hey, he said it first." she absently looked back towards the cat themed pirates, "Hey, you don't think that Jango guy's gonna try hypnotizing them do you?"

"He won't be able to." Nami reach into her pocket and pulled out the man's pendulum, "I swiped this back when he put himself to sleep in the middle of the road."

"Nice."

"I know."

"Oi, Luffy, time to—what the hell?" much to Zora's shock, Luffy was already in the air and aiming a punch towards Jango, "Hey, don't steal all the action!"

Panicking, Jango reveal a second pendulum, identical to the one Nami had swiped from him earlier. In attempts to turn the tide of the pathetically one sided fight, he hypnotized his crew, claiming that they would become much stronger and much harder to beat. Fortunately or not, he managed to hypnotize Luffy as well. Zora still didn't understand what was so difficult about looking away when the man's pendulum started swaying back and forth. Upon plowing through the Kuroneko Pirates, Luffy turned back towards Jango. Seeing his intentions, Jango resorted to hypnotism again and, much to Zora's annoyance, put Luffy asleep...again.

"Um, should we be worried about Luffy?" Usopp looked concerned about the fact Luffy had fallen asleep in the middle of a life or death situation

"Eh, he's fine." Zora waived off his concern, "You can squash rubber and it just snaps back into shape."

"Nyaban Brothers," called Jango, "Finish this guy off." he pointed at Zora, "He's in the way and we mustn't be late for our appointment with Captain Kuro."

Unimpressed, Zora gave the two cat fools a withering glare. Apparently they had some self-preserving instincts seeing as they ran back to Jango and cowered. At the hypnotist's insistence, one of the two charged at Zora in a manner that she would typically associate with a bawling child. As he drew closer, she readied one of her katana, thinking that she had no need for the other two.

"Gotcha."

Zora evaded the attack, but when she went to draw her other two katana, she found them missing. A closer look at the cat man revealed her stolen katana.

"Useless pieces of trash." Zora bit back her gasp when the man threw her beloved  _Wadou Ichimonji_ down the slope the same way a child would throw away a broken toy, "Now, shall we begin?"

With that, the other cat man joined in and the two began a furious attack of random claw slashes. Though not as comfortable with  _Itoryu,_ Zora was still able to block most of their attack. The trouble didn't start until Usopp decided to 'help'. Zora heard the snap of a slingshot and then felt a solid projectile catch her in the kidney. Seeing their target momentarily distracted, the Nyaban Brothers took the opportunity to slash their claws across Zora's chest.

'Shit!' though Zora as she felt their claws slash both her shirt and her bindings in half, 'I need to end this quickly.'

Making sure to keep her back towards Nami and Usopp, Zora made a mad dash for her other two katana. Grasping them by their  _koiguchi_ , right below the  _tsuba_ , she managed to bring them up in time to halt the next attack.

"Wait! You're a—"

Zora cut the cat man off before he could reveal her secret, " _Santoryu: Tora Gari!"_ and sent the two men flying back towards the ship

"What is going on here?"

'Fuck.' keeping her back to Nami and Usopp, Zora turned her head and saw Klahadore, aka Captain Kuro, standing in the road behind the two

"Ahaha, Captain." Jango laughed nervously

"Well?"

"I though you said that these kids wouldn't be a problem."

"I meant that they wouldn't be because  _you_ would take care of them!" hissed Kuro, "You have three minutes to finish this before I kill  _all_ of you!"

"Nami! Usopp! One of you wake Luffy!"

Taking one of his pachiko, Usopp, with his unusually accurate aim, nailed Luffy in the head with the small but solid ball. Waking up with a shout, Luffy started scanning the area for the culprit.

"Oi, Sencho!" called Zora, "You're a bit late to the party."

"Ah, Zoro. What—" Luffy did a double take, "Ano..."

Zora felt the blood rush to her cheeks as she folded her shirt over her chest, "Forget it, just kick that cat bastard's ass!"

"Stop! Klahadore!"

"Kaya!" Usopp's expression turned to horror when the former butler turned his attention to his former employer

"Ah,  _ojousama_." purred the man, "What do you think you're doing up and about? You should be at home resting."

"M-Merry told me what happened." Kaya raised the ancient looking revolver she had withdrawn from her coat pocket, "Why would you do this?"

"Why, you should know by now, if Merry has told you everything." Kuro adjusted his glasses, "Everything that I've done for you, was so that I could kill you. The life of a pirate is not an easy one, and I finally found a place where I would be comfortable spending the rest of my days. Once I kill you and receive your inheritance, I shall be set for life." he took the revolver, "Now, shall I go through with my plan?"

"Kaya!"

Usopp snatched the revolver from Kaya's hand and fired at the man. Neatly dodging the bullet, Kuro unsheathed the five dagger like protrusions on each of his gloves' fingers, swiping at Usopp's face. Diving in front of the strike, Zora intercepted the man's blades with her own, stopping the man in a clash of metal.

"Three minutes are up. Who shall I kill first?" wondered the former butler, his eyes locked onto Zora who was the closest to him, "I suppose you're first." he stalked towards her 

" _Gomu Gomu no Pistol_ _!_ " Luffy's fist lashed out and, stretching about fifty yards, struck Kuro in the chin, "Stay away from Zoro!"

The former butler skidded back and adjusted his glasses as he regained his balance. Zora wondered what could have cause such a reaction, she and Luffy had only known each other a few days. Then again, he did consider her nakama, so she supposed that explained his actions. The man, clearly now royally pissed, turned and glared at Luffy.

"You ate an Akuma no mi, didn't you?" deduced the man

"Aye, Gomu Gomu no Mi."

Kuro adjusted his glasses yet again, "Well then, that mean's I can still cut you to pieces. Prepare to die." his gaze flickered over towards the hypnotist, "Jango, take care of Kaya-ojousama. She will write that will. When she is done, kill her." he advanced on Luffy

Tying the ends of her shirt together, Zora stood, "Don't bother trying." she pointed  _Wadou_ at the hypnotist, "I won't let you pass."

"Buchi!" Jango held up his pendulum, "When I say 'Ichi, ni, Jango' you will become stronger and your wounds will heal!"

"Damn cat." muttered Zora, "I guess his fat saved him from being gutted."

The cat man jumped much higher than his body mass should have allowed and, bringing his foot down in an axe kick, slammed his heel where Zora had been moments before she dodged. Shattering the rocks and path around him, the fat cat managed to kick up a swell of dust. Katanas ready, Zora waiting for the next strike.

"Come on kitty, where are you hiding?"

"Nyaaarrrwww!"

Zora winced as she was driven into the side of the cliff, katana rising to block and legs lifting to kick. With the man's claws inches from her face, Zora held him at bay with one boot planted in his massive gut and the other digging into his jaw. Struggling under the cat's weight, Zora faintly heard Usopp telling Kaya to run. His word's reminded Zora of when she had first taken up bounty hunting, she had egregiously underestimated her opponent and had been saved by a stranger.

* * *

_"Run girl!" shouted the man as he gripped the criminal's arm, "I'll hold him off!"_

_"Why?!" screamed Zora as blood dripped down her injured shoulder, "This was my hunt, it would be dishonorable to turn my back and run from a challenge!"_

_The stranger grunted as the criminal's fist dug into his abdomen, "You fool! There is nothing wrong with fleeing if it means you survive another day to try again!" he kneed his opponent in the thigh, "Take this chance and run!" he smiled, "You are not retreating from this, you are just advancing in a different direction so that you may claim victory some other time."_

* * *

Zora glared at her opponent, "You lost once, and yet you refuse to back down when your opponent has you outmatched. It's time to end this!" Zora pulled back her leg and, as the cat man's head leaned in, snapped it back out, striking Buchi in the thigh like the stranger had shown her all those years ago, breaking the man's stance, "Dumb cat." she kicked him under the chin, " _Oni Giri!_ " crossing her blades, Zora slashed the man again, this time aiming for his adipose lacking chest rather than his stomach

"Zoro," called Luffy, "Leave this to me. Go after Kaya and Dango." he glanced down at Usopp who, after angering the former butler even more, had sustained rather some serious injuries, "Take this guys with you."

Zora sighed, "Aye Sencho." Hefting Usopp over her shoulder she set forth up the slope, "You know, it would be faster if I didn't have to drag you along." she murmured to Usopp

"Wouldn't you get lost?" He glance down when he felt something soft bump against his shoulder, "Umm...?"

"Shut up." Zora blushed lightly, "I'll explain later."

"Who gave you permission to leave this place alive?" asked Kuro as Zora neared him

"I did!" Luffy stretched his arm out towards the former butler, "Zoro, Usopp, go!"

 Nodding, Zora carried Usopp down the path back towards the surrounding woods.

* * *

"Soooo, Zoro?" asked Usopp when they made it into the woods, "Anything you want to tell me?"

Zora sighed, "Nothing I want to say, but I suppose I should explain." She slowed her pace to a walk, "I'm guessing you've figured out that part where I'm a girl?" Usopp nodded, "Well, that's the thing. I'm a girl, I'm a swordsman, there's no such thing as a swordswoman. You figure out the rest." she gave the boy a positively saccharine smile, "Also, tell anyone about this and  _I will kill you_." Usopp nodded vigorously, "Glad we understand each other."

"He-hey what's this?" Usopp was pointing towards some foot prints left in the soil, "There's aren't Kaya's or that weirdo's." his jaw drop, "Don't tell me..."

"Damn brats." muttered Zora, "They couldn't just have stayed home could they?"

Zora set him down and Usopp knelt down to get a closer look at the footprints, "It looks like they met up with Kaya and started running away." Zora looked at him in confusion, "They're evenly spaced as if someone was walking but then the stride gets long. That means they started running. I'll bet anything that Kaya told them what happened and then they started helping her run from that Jango guy."

Zora nodded, "Sounds about right." she started walking ahead, "Now all we need to do is-" 

Usopp heard a crash and turned to see Zora face down in the dirt, "Oi, what's-Zoro?"

"It's nothing." Zora glared at the offending rope, "Some shithead decided to leave a piece of rope lying around."

" _KAYA-SAN!_ "

"Hey, that's them!" cried Usopp

"Ugh, can't you walk?" asked Zora as she picked up Usopp, "I'm injured too you know."

She began running towards the source of the scream and, much to her annoyance, Usopp began smacking her in the sternum to get her to stop. Apparently the boy did not understand that smacking a wounded person right where their injury was is not a particularly bright idea.

"I can see them!" Usopp pointed towards where Jango was threatening Kaya with his pendulum blade, "They're over there!"

"Your hand goes an inch lower and I'll sever your fingers." hissed Zora, "Stay here." shoving Usopp behind her, Zora sprinted towards the hypnotist, "Time's up shitty hypnotist!"

"Stay back haramaki gu-girl?"

"Dumbass." Zora sliced a nearby branch, "I'm not the one attacking you."

"Thanks Zoro!" Usopp took aim and fired, " _Hissatsu: Kayaku Boshi!_ " the 'gunpowder star' exploded into flames as it hit Jango in the face

Deeming her job done, seeing as Jango was lying unconscious on his back, Zora removed her bandanna and retied it over her bicep. Sheathing her katana, she headed back in the direction of the coast. Considering Usopp made it back before she did and the other two had been waiting for a while after the sniper arrived, Zora admitted to herself that perhaps she had taken the longer route back, not that she would admit that out loud.

" _Arigato_ ," thank Usopp, "without your help the village surely would have been in trouble."

"We probably wouldn't have done anything if you hadn't risked your life and showed us you courage and devotion to the village." commented Zora, thankfully Nami seemed to immersed in her treasure to notice the state of Zora's shirt and bindings

"Zoro."

"Ah?"

"MEEEAAT!"

Zora groaned, 'At least someone in town might be able to lend me a shirt.'

* * *

Generally speaking, Zora wasn't one to turn down a victory feast. However, watching Luffy shovel food into his mouth made her wonder about the bill. Limiting the rubber man's food consumption was definitely not going to be easy. Remembering their deal, Zora slid her half-finished plate of  _tarako onigiri_ over to her captain.

"Think it's about time to go?" asked Zora when Luffy was done stuffing his face

" _Tsude_ ," Kaya approached their table, "I just wanted to thank you for helping Usopp-san." She smiled, "I've prepared a gift for you guys. I would be grateful if you excepted it."

After paying for their meal, the three followed Kaya down to the shore where, much to Luffy's joy, Nami's relief and Zora's amusement, there was a ship waiting for them. Kaya's other caretaker, Merry, explained to them that this caravel was named the Going Merry (named after her creator) and that, despite her older model, she would be a good ship for the traveling trio.

"Oi Sencho." Zora tapped Luffy's shoulder and jerked her head off towards the side, "A word please." when Luffy protested she glared at him, "Hey, Nami can listen to the sheep-guy's explanation." she led him a few yards away from the rest

"What is it Zoro?"

Zora sighed, "First of all, Usopp is now in on the secret too." Luffy tilted his head in confusion, "You know,  _that_ secret." a black stare, "The fact I'm a woman." hissed Zora

"Ah, souka."

"Anyway, Nami still doesn't know I'm female so I'm probably going to be bunking with you and Usopp. Don't give me that look, I have no intention of revealing this; Usopp found out by mistake." She folded her arms across her chest, "Either way, I wanted to thank you for not staring."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind." Zora grinned, "Why don't we head back to the others?" she froze, "Something's coming."

Turning, Zora was greeted by the sight of a large, round boulder tumbling towards them at a fast pace. A closer looked revealed this 'boulder' to be Usopp, laden with a pack that, as far as Zora knew, probably contained all of his possessions. Unamused by the young man's antics, Zora sidestepped and stopped the rolling monstrosity by grabbing onto one of the straps. As Usopp bade farewell to Kaya, Zora watched as Luffy complained to Nami abut the severe lack of meat on board.

"Good luck!" called Usopp, "I'm sure we'll meet again someday!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Luffy

"I'm going to be a pirate, and you're pirates. So we'll probably see each other out at sea."

"Moron." Zora pointed at the deck, "Getcher ass up here."

"Huh?"

"Shishishi, we're nakama right?" Luffy gave Usopp his trademark grin, "You're sailing with us."

"Right! I'm Captain Usopp after all!"

"Wah? No I'm the captain!"

"Both of you shut up!"

"Itai! Nami!"

As they cast off, Zora wondered how far this crew of Luffy's would go. Sure she had experienced many things as a solitary bounty hunter, but perhaps the presence of nakama would make this journey far more exciting. Settling down on the deck, she watched as the other three familiarized themselves with what was now their new home.

' _Sensei, is this what you meant when you said that family is not who you born from, but who you choose to be with._ '

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, kicking someone in the thigh is actually pretty effective, if you kick them in the femoral nerve. It's kind of hard to hit if you don't know where it is, but trust me, it works...really well. I tell you this from first hand experience. I was sparring with one of the other black belts during a karate seminar I was attending and they got me in the thigh.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so this chapter features underage drinking. For those uncomfortable with this, feel free to skip. It's mostly Zora's memories since she sleeps through the first half of this chapter. Also, Falk and Takao are OCs, but everything else is Oda's. For those who are curious, Falk's surname (Sippenhaft) means 'kin liability'. Basically it's guilt by association based upon the crimes of one's relatives (kinda like Ace being Roger's son and Luffy being Dragon's). And please, READ THE END NOTES! THEY'RE IMPORTANT!

Cracking an eye open, Zora glared at Usopp as the younger of the two frolicked about the ship playing pirates with Luffy. Yawning, she made to resume her nap.

" _Kanzen na!_ " Luffy held up a large black cloth with some hideous something scribbled on it, Zora couldn't really tell what it was supposed to be, "This will be our mark! Now that we have four people we need a jolly roger!"

"The hell's that supposed to be?"

"Zooorrooo," whined Luffy, "it's our mark."

"A pirate mark is suppose to strike fear into people." explained Nami, "The only thing _that_ thing makes me fear is your lack of artistic talent."

"No need to fear!" Usopp bragged, "I, the great Usopp have had years of painting experience!"

"More like graffiti experience." muttered Nami, Zora concealed her chuckled though she couldn't agree more with the other girl

Usopp readied some paints and got to work.

"Tada!"

"Moron!" Zora punched him, "That's your own personal flag!"

"Ne, paint ours!" complained Luffy

Grabbing another piece of cloth, Usopp corrected his painting. Satisfied with the alternate image, Luffy commanded Usopp to paint the mark of the Mugiwaras on the main sail.

"Hey Navigator, what's that?" Zora pointed over at a collection of grey storm clouds hovering above the jagged silhouette of a small island

Nami looked up from her map, "That's...what is that?" she glanced down at the map again, "Oh, I see. This is a treasure island!" Zora could practically see the beli symbols replacing Nami's iris and pupils, "It is said that whoever seeks the island's treasure will invoke the wrath of God."

"Wr-wrath of God?"

Nami and Luffy both grinned, "This smells like-"

"-Adventure!"

"-Treasure!"

"I suddenly have a case of I-can't-set-foot-on-that-island-osis."

"Whatever." Zora rolled over onto her side, "I'm going to sleep. Oi Sencho, don't get yourself killed."

"Hai!"

Closing her eyes, Zora drifted back to the memory of the stranger who had taught her the kick she had used on that cat man back in Syrup Village.

* * *

" _Oi Shinpi-san." called Zora, "Chotto matte." swallowing her pride, she bowed her head, "Thank you for...saving me earlier."_

_The man smiled a tired smile, "I've been in this business for a long time. Still, it's not everyday I see a young girl trying to capture a 5,000,000 beli bounty." he sighed, "Remember what I told you. Retreat is not defeat."_

_Zora scowled, "I could have taken him."_

_"Maybe if you had been a foot taller, more than double your weight and a few years older." he ruffled Zora's hair, "Tell you what Matcha-chan, how about you travel with me and I teach you the ins and outs of bounty hunting?"_

_"Green tea-chan?" questioned Zora, "my name is Roronoa Zora."_

_"Maa, don't be sour Matcha-chan!" joked the man, "It's just a name. After all, you call me Mystery-san."_

_"That's 'cause you didn't tell me your name."_

_"Ah, well then." He offered his hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you Match-chan, I am Falk Sippenhaft."_

_"Whatever," Zora shook his hand, "I can't pay you. Are you still willing to teach me?"_

_"I didn't say you had to pay with money."_

_"You'd better not be implying what I think you're implying."_

_Falk laughed and shook his head, "Nah, you're way too young. Besides, my partner would be completely against it."_

_"Partner partner, or_ partner  _partner?" asked Zora_

_"Both."_

_"Oh."_

_"Oi, Falk!" jogging up to them was another man, taller but about the same age as Falk, "Are you picking on this young girl?"_

_The two gaped at him, though for different reasons._

_"Young? I'm twelve you asshole!"_

_"Picking on her?" Falk slapped a hand down on Zora's shoulder, "This is Matcha-chan, she's gonna be our apprentice!"_

_"She is?"_

_"I am?"_

_Falk grinned, "Yup!"_

_"Fine."_

_"Fuck."_

* * *

 Zora jolted awake as she heard a piercing scream ripple through the air. It sounded suspiciously like Usopp or Nami. Figuring that the two had just been surprised and not actually in mortal peril, Zora shifted so that she was lying on her back.

'Damn cowards, grow a backbone already.'

* * *

_"Now, remember Matcha-chan, heel to toe." Falk demonstrated, "This way you can sneak up on your bounty without them realizing it."_

_"Unless you're as loud as a concussed bear stumbling through the forest." muttered the man, he had introduced himself as simply Takao, "This idiot is the last person who should be teaching you stealth."_

_"Meeaaan!"_

_"Are you thirty? Or three?" muttered Takao_

_"Maa, I'd place him around five." commented Zora_

_"Nooooo!" Falk captured Zora in a tight bear hug, "You can't be mean like Takao!" he whined_

_Takao's unamused expression remained the same, "Falk, she's turning blue."_

_"For fuck's sake!" cried Zora as she freed herself from Falk's iron grip, "All I wanted was to learn more about bounty hunting!"_

_Thumping his partner on the head, Takao motioned Zora to follow him. As they walked, Falk trailing behind them as he nursed the bump on his head, Takao explained to Zora that the price on a person's head may or may not convey their true strength. For instance, the amount on a person's head is a reflection of a few different things. Threat to the World Government, strength of the criminal or a mix of both._

_"For instance," explained Takao, "if a man slaughters town after town of civilians, he could be pathetically weak by hunting or pirating standards, but still have a large bounty due to the sheer amount of bloodshed he's caused."_

_Zora nodded, "So the 5,000,000 beli guy Falk helped me with a few weeks ago could have been stronger than his bounty said since he didn't go around randomly killing people."_

_"Exactly."_

_When they reached the next town, Takao directed to the nearest bar. Settling down on a bar stool, he sat Zora next to him while Falk took the seat on her other side. Ordering a bottle of sake, Takao turned to Zora._

_"Try this." he grinned, "As far as I'm concerned, genshu is the best."_

_"You're giving undiluted sake to a twelve year old?"_

_"Shut up Falk, you started drinking when you were ten." taking the bottle from the barkeep, Takao placed it in front of Zora, "Drink up Lil' Miss!"_

_"Bottoms up."_

_"Wait!"_

_Zora downed the sake in a few gulps and, much to Takao's mirth and Falk's concern, called the barkeep over and ordered another. Much to Falk's dismay, the green haired girl wasn't even tipsy after her fifth bottle, he had expected her to collapse drunk after her second._

_"Damn girl," called one of the other patrons, "that's some tolerance you got there!"_

_"Haha," Takao ruffled her hair, "Zora, I think it's about time we found a place to bunk for the night." he had noticed Zora starting to sway after her tenth bottle, "Come along."_

_Standing, the bounty hunter paid his tab and headed for the door. Sliding off the bar stool, Zora's feet hit the ground and, after a couple seconds of blank staring at Takao's retreating back, she tipped forward into Falk's waiting arms._

_"Knew you were about done." chuckled the man as he lifted Zora into his arms and followed his partner out of the bar_

_Closing her eyes, Zora found herself lolled to sleep by the bounty hunter's heartbeat and the sway of his steps as they made their way towards the town inn._

* * *

"We're back!"

Waking from her nap, Zora yawned and peered over the ship's rail, "So, how was the adventure Sencho?"

"Well..."

"There was no treasure." Nami said testily, "We found a man stuck in a treasure chest and a bunch of strange animal hybrid things." her face fell, "But no treasure, it was all empty."

"Maa maa, 's not like every island has to have treasure." soothed Usopp

"Oi, what's in here?"

Lugging a rate up to the main deck, Luffy deposited his load at the top of the stairs. Prying the lid off, he uncovered a host of cannon balls. Knowing Luffy, Zora had an inkling feeling that something, hopefully not the ship, was going to sustain major damage within the next few minutes. Taking one of the balls, Luffy wandered over to the solitary cannon on the deck.

"Zoro, you know how to use this thing?"

Zora glanced over, "Yeah, and I'm not teaching you how to blow shit up." Luffy pouted, "Hey, you're lucky we haven't destroyed anything since Orange Town."

"Well, if we continue in the direction we're going, there should be a practice area up ahead." commented Nami as she checked her maps

"Let's be honest," Zora stretched, "I doubt practice will make any difference. Unless he's punching or kicking something, Sencho couldn't even hit a galleon if it was anchored."

Nami nodded, "Probably, but if trying to hit a rock saves me from getting interrupted, he can have at it."

Their conversation was interrupted by a loud splash. Peering over the railing, Zora saw a rocky outcrop that Luffy apparently had been tying to hit. Shoving Luffy over, Usopp stepped up to the cannon. Claiming to be a master artilleryman, he loaded the cannon and fired at the miniature island. Unlike Luffy who had missed by a mile, the self-proclaimed sniper hit the rocky mass dead center, shattering the top part.

"Ooh, bullseye!"

"It actually hit?"

"What's that supposed to mean Zoro?"

"Zoro..."

"What?"

"I'm hungry."

* * *

 Halfway through lunch, Luffy came to the conclusion that the ship was missing something.

"I just realized something." Luffy crossed his arms and a serious expressed crossed his face, "We're missing a crew member."

"Well, yeah."

"We do have a rather nice kitchen." admitted Nami, she grinned at Luffy, "If you pay me I'll do it."

"We need a musician!"

Zora kicked Luffy in the shin as Nami's fist connected with the rubber man's cranium, "You idiot!" scolded the navigator

"That does raise the question though." Usopp glanced at the other three, "Can anyone here actually cook? You know, like, well?"

"Nope."

"Can't."

"Only if you pay me."

"Oi,  _kaizoku_!" shouted a voice from above deck, "Come out and face me!"

Peering out the window of the door, Nami and Usopp watched as Luffy approached the stranger, "How many?" asked Zora

"Let's see. There's one, t-no just one." answered Usopp

Zora reclined against the icebox, "Ah, Sencho can handle it."

The ruckus outside increased as the man accused Luffy of trying to kill his partner. Puzzle and annoyed, Luffy rammed the man into the ship's railing. Faintly recognizing the voice of the stranger, Zora meandered over to the window, pushing Usopp aside.

"Oi Luffy, who's the-Johnny?"

The man sat up, "Zoro-nee-." Zora flipped herself over the railing and landed a boot in the man's sternum, sending him to the deck before he could finish the feminine honorific

Aniki." she hissed quietly, "They don't know so stop it with the  _neechan_ crap."

"Ano...you two know each other?"

"A-Aniki," corrected Johnny, "um, why are you on a pirate ship?"

"Where's Yosaku?" Zora got straight to the point

"He-he's gravely ill!"

Zora sighed, dealing with Usopp's overreactions was one thing, Johnny and Yosaku, together, were a whole other comedy duo. After carrying Yosaku onto the deck, Johnny lay the man down and, Zora sensed an oncoming headache, began bawling his eyes out as he explained his partner's condition.

"We were resting on that island, but then your ship attacked us." Zora could practically hear Luffy and Usopp's jaws dropping, "N-Aniki, is he going to die?"

"Ahh..." medical knowledge was one of the many things Kuina had tried to teach Zora but, like most topics that did not interest her, Zora had tuned out most of the other girl's lectures

"It's scurvy you idiots." Nami pointed at Luffy and Usopp, "You two, get the limes down in storage." when the two returned and began squeezing the lime juice into the man's mouth, Nami turned to Johnny, "He'll be fine, just give it a few days."

" _Arigato,_  ane-san!"

"Stop spitting on me!"

As Nami went on to describe scurvy, Zora noticed that Luffy and Usopp had given up on squeezing the limes and had begun just stuffing the fruit into Yosaku's mouth. When the captain and the sniper commented on their navigator's vast knowledge, the orange haired girl promptly smacked them.

"We're at sea you morons! Who goes to sea without know these kinds of things?!" Zora absently pointed at Luffy

"Sugoi! You're up!"

Somehow, what took most people days to recover from, Yosaku recovered from within a few minutes. Walking over to the two, Zora smacked them both over the head before introducing them to the rest of the crew.

"These two jokers are Johnny and Yosaku." she pointed to them each in turn, "We used to be travel together when I was still a bounty hunter."

"Imagine our surprise when we found out Zoro-ne-" Zora discreetly dug her heel into his foot, "I mean, Zoro-aniki went from being a pirate hunter to being a pirate!" exclaimed Johnny

"Well," Nami leaned against the mast, "let this be a lesson. Don't set sail without stocking up on supplies and without knowing the cures to common ailments." she sighed, "I doubt any of you know anything about dietary health neh?" she received all nods, "I thought so."

"We need a cook."

"No shit." Zora couldn't-no she could believe how simple Luffy's reasoning appeared to be

"Ano, I think I know just thee place where you can look for a chef."

"Hmm?" Nami perked up, "And where would that be Johnny?"

"It's somewhat near the Grand Line," explained the man before his gaze flicked to Zora, "I heard that  _Taka no Me_ was in the are." Zora's hand shot down to grasp  _Wadou_ , "We should get there by tomorrow if you continue sailing that way!" he almost poked Usopp in the eye as he pointed in the direction of their next destination, if Luffy's expression was anything to go by, "Off we go! To the Floating Restaurant, Baratie!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, we're gonna be meeting Sanji in the next chapter and I was wondering if he should find out Zora's secret or not. Please comment and let me know. This is very important since whether or not Sanji finds out determines future character interactions. PLEASE COMMENT AND LET ME KNOW YOUR OPINION!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for your comments (and actually bothering to read the a/n). Sanji will be kept in the dark...for now. Without further adieu, please enjoy the continuation of Zora's adventures!

"Ne Zoro, isn't it awesome!"

"It's...a floating fish."

"Gah! Marines!"

Flailing his arms about, Usopp began shaking Zora's shoulders, "Why are the marines after us?!"

"They're probably going to the restaurant for food." stated Nami as Zora headbutted Usopp in the frontal bone

"Maybe they won't see us."

The sniper's wistful hoping dissipated when the marine ship's alarm went off. A tall man in a rather ugly, yellow pinstripe suit stepped up to the railing.

"I am  _Tekken no Fullbody_ , Marine Headquarters Lieutenant!" he glared at the pirates, "I've never seen you're mark before. Where is you're captain!"

"I'm-"

"-Luffy."

"-Usopp."

Luffy glared at Usopp but Zora ended the dispute when her  _saya_ made contact with Usopp's head.

"We just made our mark yesterday." explained Luffy

A woman appeared behind the lieutenant and, patting his shoulder, requested that they ignore the pirates and continue on to have their brunch date. Addressing his subordinates, the man ordered for the sinking of the Going Merry. At the boom of a cannon, Luffy stretched himself across the ship and aimed to send the cannon back at the marine ship in a slingshot like manner. Zora would later argue that a  _Gomu Gomu no Fusen_ would have been more reliable seeing as Luffy's hand slipped and he ended up sending the cannon ball careening towards the sea restaurant.

"You dolt!" cried Nami when Luffy followed the cannonball's example and slammed into the restaurant as his limbs snapped back to their normal length.

"Well, there goes our captain." remarked Zora as she watched the rubber man crash into the roof

"Should we wait for him?" asked Usopp

"Might take awhile." Zora lay down on the deck, "Why not though. If he takes too long we can always go fetch him." she settle down for a nap, "Unless someone's dying, don't wake me up."

* * *

" _Oi, Zora, Saga wanted me to give you this."_ _Kuina placed a daisy crown on Zora's head when her adoptive sister turned towards her, "Something about going with him when it's his turn to go into town for shopping."_

_"Persistent." muttered Zora_

_Kuina chuckled, "Yeah, you gotta give him credit for that."_

* * *

"Oi, get up."

Zora cracked an eye open, "What Nami?"

"Luffy's been gone for a while. We're rowing over there to find out what's going on. So get up."

"Fine." Zora got to her feet, "Where's the damn lifeboat?"

Assigning Usopp and Zora to row, Nami stood at the bow and waited for the two to row their way over to the restaurant. As Usopp was tying off the boat, Zora heard the crash of tableware shattering. Opening the door, she was presented with the sight of a blonde waiter holding the marine lieutenant they had seen earlier up by the collar of his jacket. Apparently the marine had disturbed the peace and wasted some food. The blonde warned the man of the dangers of angering the cook while at sea. Just then, another man stormed in and chastised the blonde for beating up a customer.

"What the hell do you think you're doing to a paying customer, Sanji?!"

Zora turned to Nami as the two cooks began to argue, "You  _sure_ you wanna eat here?"

As the lieutenant began threatening foreclosure, and the blonde had to be restrained by some other chefs, Luffy and an older man with rather impressive facial hair came crashing through the ceiling.

"Look what you've done to my restaurant boy!" roared the man, "To pay for the ceiling expenses I expect you to work for me for a year!"

"Me? You broke the ceiling!"

"Owner!" cried one of the chefs, "Forget about the boy and help us with Sanji!"

Instead of calmly taking the enraged blonde down, the chef did exactly what Zora would have done had she been in that situation. Both Luffy and the insolent marine were given a kick to the face, courtesy of the wooden peg replacing the older chef's leg.

"This is insane." commented Usopp from his hiding place behind Zora, "What's up with these people."

Zora yawned disinterestedly, "Who knows."

"Fullbody-taii!" shouted one of the marines form the ship, "The Kreig pirate we captured has escaped!"

"What?!"

"Oi, who's Kreig?" whispered Usopp

Zora leaned against the wall, "Well, I hear he's the strongest pirate in the East Blue, though that's not saying much. The East Blue is the weakest of the four blues, but I guess he's stronger than the rest. Rumor has it he was headed for the Grand Line. I'm surprised he's back here."

"The strongest in the East Blue?" Usopp began whimpering, "Ne, Nami, let's get outta here."

"Honestly, is there anything you aren't scared of?"

"...no?"

"You know, why don't we head back to Merry and come back tomorrow for brunch?" suggested Nami, "I doubt any of this is going to be solved any time soon." she turned away, "Hurry up before we get caught in this mess."

"Yes ma'am."

"Whatever."

* * *

" _Binkusu no sake wo, todoke ni yuku yo. Umikaze kimikase namimakase. Shio no mukou de, yuuhi mo sawagu. Sora nya wa wo kaku, torino uta!" Falk grinned at Zora, motioning for her to join him_

_Smirking, Zora began to sing along with the older bounty hunter, "Sayonara minato, tsumugi no sato yo. Don to icchou utao, funade no uta. Kinpa-ginpa no shibuki ni kaete. Oretacha yuku zo, umi no kagari!"_

_"Teaching such a child a drinking song." teased Takao, "Shame on you Falk!"_

_"You're the one who gave her undiluted sake." retorted Falk as he set down his fiddle, "Who gives a twelve-year-old sake that has a 18-20% alcohol content?"_

_"Oi, when can we start our next hunt?"_

_Takao glanced down as their unofficial ward, "Depends...how high were you planning for a bounty?"_

_"I was thinking somewhere around_ _10,000,000 beli." Zora looked up at Takao, "It's been two months since the_   _5,000,000 beli incident, but you two have been training me since. I think I'm ready for a harder hunt."_

_"Well, that settles it then." Falk arched a brow at the other man, "Falk, go through the posters with Zora and see what's what." the taller man yawned and stretched, "I'm going to bed."_

_"Sure, sure," Falk packed his fiddle away, "Come on Matcha-chan! Time to look for our next target!"_

_"How the fuck do you have this much energy?"_

_"Saa..."_

* * *

"Zoro, rise and shine!"

"Fuck off Pachinko!"

"Fucking off..."

The next day, after Usopp woke her from her mid-morning nap, Zora was once against ordered to assist the sniper in rowing the lifeboat over to the Baratie; Nami rarely did any of the manual labor around the ship. Reaching the fish-shaped sea restaurant, the three were seated and, much to Zora's annoyance, the blonde man from yesterday turned out to be their waiter.

"GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN!"

Hearing the bellow of one of the kitchen hands, Zora assumed that someone, probably Luffy, was up to something...again. 

Zora waved to Luffy as he was booted out of the kitchen, "Hey Sencho, could I have a refill?" she raised her empty glass

"Why must you do this to me Zoooorrooo!" whined Luffy after scrambling over to his crew's table, "You promised to share!"

"Maa, maa," Zora leaned back in her chair, "that was only for meals we eat together. I don't see you sitting at this table."

Luffy frowned and, much to Zora's annoyance, draped himself over her back and began pestering her for food.

"Zoorrrooo!"

"Get off me you idiot!" Zora grabbed Luffy's shoulders and flipped him over her head, sending the rubber man crashing to the floor, "Go complain to someone else!"

By then, their antics had drawn the attention of the rest of the guests. Though the Baratie was known for the not so infrequent brawl, typically the altercations were between the kitchen staff and rowdy customers, not fights between waitstaff and customers. Out of the corner of her eye, Zora spotted the blonde waiter from the day before rushing over to their table.

"Ah, mademoiselle," the man withdrew a rose from his suit pocket and presented it to Nami, "how wonderful it is for the ocean to have our paths cross! It must be fate!"

"What's wrong with you?"

The man spun around and, with a closed-eyed flourish, presented Zora with an identical rose, "Such beauty I have never-what the hell?" his eyes snapped open

"Moron."

"Are you the obstacle that dares stand in the way of my love?" demanded the man

"That would be me."

Standing behind the man was the owner. Cursing the older man's timing, the blonde tucked the second rose into his pocket and grit his teeth.

"Shitty old man." muttered the blonde

The owner glared at the waiter, "Sanji, I have no need for your services any longer. " his frown deepened, "Why don't you go become a pirate like these folks here?"

"Oi, I'm the  _sous chef_ here." stated the blonde, "What the hell do you mean 'no need for your services', ya old geezer?"

"You pick fights with customers, you flirt with all of our females guests and your food is crap."

Zora turned back to Luffy as the fight between he two cooks escalated. Selecting a plate of  _andouilette_ , she handed the plate to the practically drooling rubber man. She smacked his hand away when he reached for her bowl of  _bœuf à la Bourguignonne_. Just then, the blonde waiter crashed into their table, apparently having pissed off the owner enough for the older man to send him flying. Each grabbing a couple of the dishes on their table, Zora, Usopp and Nami each ended up precariously balancing their meal after rescuing it from the blonde chef's landing.

"Forget it!" cried the blonde, Sanji if Zora remembered correctly, "I'll stay and cook at this restaurant until the day I die!"

"Which may be sooner than you think." whispered Zora to Usopp, the younger pirate chuckled

Kneeling next to the fallen man, Luffy congratulated him on receiving the older man's blessing to head out to sea, "Now you can come sail with us!"

"Hell no!" righting the table, Sanji graciously fixed Nami's place setting and offered her a glass of wine, "Pardon my absolutely atrocious manners."

"Where's our apology?" asked Zora

"Oh yes, I'm quite-screw you shitty bastards!" snapped Sanji when he noticed he had been addressing a green haired 'man' instead of a woman

"Ano," Nami smiled shyly at the man, "the food here is great but...I'm not sure my budget can afford this..."

"Anything here is free for you my dear!" Sanji exclaimed before glaring at Zora and Usopp, "You'd better have your wallets ready." noticing Luffy downing Zora's water, the blonde snagged him by the scruff and dragged him away from the table, "Don't slack off shitty  _mugiwara_ , pass out menus to arriving customers!"

* * *

 After their rather eventful luncheon at the Baratie, Zora and the rest of the crew, sans Luffy, were relaxing on the Going Merry when a thick fog began rolling in. Out of the mist, the silhouette of a large ship, Zora guessed it was probably a galleon, emerged. As Usopp began panicking and Namie began prepping for a hasty departure, Zora stood and observed the shadow as it drafted closer and closer. Noting the ragged appearance of the ship and the fact that the sails were in tatters, Zora doubted that whoever owned this ship was in any state to attack, thus Nami and Usopp's preparations were not necessary.

"Oi, Usopp, quite panicking." Zora stuck a foot out and tripped the sniper as he rushed around the deck, "It's Kreig, but he's in no shape to fight." she pointed at the hulking figure staggering off the ship and into the restaurant with the help of a shorter man, "See?"

A few minutes later, people began streaming out of the Baratie, many screaming or crying in fear. Zora reconsidered her assessment.

"Hey Zoro, why's everyone running away?"

"Let's go find out." Zora grasped the sniper's arm before he could flee, "Come on you coward."

"Yes, I'm a coward and proud of it! At least I'll live longer!"

Despite the explosion that ripped through the restaurant, Zora continued hauling Usopp over to the Baratie. Shoving people out of her way, she headed for the downstairs dining area. Knowing Luffy, the explosion probably had something to do with him being an idiot. Zora sighed as she heard Lufffy shouting about becoming the  _Kaizoku-O._ Whenever he mentioned his dream, Luffy either caused his audience great amusement or invoked their rage.  When they made it to the stairs, Zora set Usopp down and began unsheathing  _Wadou_.

"Oi, Luffy, need a hand?"

"I-if not, please d-don't hesitate to say so." stammered Usopp

Luffy looked up, "Oh, Zoro, Usopp, nice of you to drop by." he grinned, "I got this. Just sit back and watch."

"Do-don't mention it. W-we'll lend you a hand!"

Zora slammed her boot onto Usopp's foot, "Sit down and shut up."

"Fools," growled the giant man, Zora assumed he was Don Kreig, "I'll deal with you later." he lifted a large sack of what Zora assumed was food onto his back, "First I need to feed my men." he glared at Luffy, Zora, Usopp and the group of chef's present, "Unless you want to die, begone when I get back. The only things worth taking here are Red-Leg Zeff's nautical journal and this ship."

Zora looked on with boredom as the chef's began arguing amongst themselves. Apparently the blonde cassanova from earlier had fed one of the Kreig pirates when he was starving, thus encouraging the man to return a few days later with his captain and the rest of his crew mates. The owner chastised his employees as they protested his decision to feed the belligerent pirates. From the sound of it, the other chef's had not experience hunger the way he had. Zora had a hunch that starvation had been a part of this man's past. It must have been part of the blond chef's as well, judging by the fact the owner mentioned that the rest of his employees did not understand the crisis in the way that he and Sanji did.

"All of you should leave, before Don Kreig returns."

As the chef's raised their weapons, Zora still didn't understand how an over-sized spoon could be considered a weapon, the man in who appeared to be Kreig's underling demanded why the hell the chef's were preparing to fight. The blonde chef's vow that he would kill anyone who dared attack this restaurant probably impressed Luffy, mused Zora, but words meant little when you faced a violent idiot.

"See?" said Luffy, pointing at the man, "He's perfect for our crew!"

"We need to leave! NOW!" screeched Usopp hysterically

"Good grief," Zora dug her elbow into his ribs, "Calm down and stop squawking like a seagull!"

"Oi, Gin." Luffy turned to the Kreig pirate, "How come you said you knew nothing about the Grand Line even though you've been there before?"

"We made it to the Grand Line, but then _that_ happened." By the looks of it, the Kreig pirate seemed to be suffering a flashback, "Somehow, one man managed to destroy our fleet of fifty ships." the man trembled in fear at the memory, "He just appeared and began laying waste to the fleet. Our flagship was the only one to make it out of that nightmare, but only thanks to the sudden storm. That man-his eyes just pierce through to your very soul! Like the eyes of a hawk waiting to kill its prey!"

"What?!" Zora snapped to attention, "Did you say hawk eyes? As in  _Taka no Me_?"

"Hmm, I suppose you ran into  _Taka no Me no Mihawk_." stated the restaurant owner, "His eyes are rather hard to forget. And from what you say,that does seem like something he would do."

"Zoro, do you know this man?" asked Luffy when he saw a bead of sweat trickle down Zora's brow

Zora tried to keep her voice from shaking with shock and excitement, "No, not personally. However, he is the man I've been searching for, the reason I set out to sea."

"Did he have a grudge against you?" Sanji addressed the Kreig pirate 

"Not that I know of."

"You probably disturbed his nap." commented Zeff, "Despite how trivial it may seem, things like that happen when you're sailing the Grand Line."

"Sounds kinda like you Zor-ow!" Zora had jammed her  _saya_ into Usopp's foot, the same one she had stomped on earlier, "Oi, Luffy, we  _definitely_ should stay away from the Grand Line." cautioned Usopp

"We should  _definitely_ set sail for the Grand Line!"

"Please be a little more concerned about your safety and the safety of your crew!"

"Well, at least now I know I have to sail to the Grand Line to find that man." Zora turned to Luffy, "Ne, Sencho?"

"Baka."

Zora glared at the blonde man, "What was that?"

"You guys must have a death wish or something."

"Aye, but when I made my promise to become the greatest, I knew I would have to risk my life." Zora smirked, "There's no point in dreaming unless you're willing to take risks to achieve it."

"Save all the sentimental crap till after we get ourselves out of this mess!"shouted one of the other chefs

Just then, the roar of famished pirates rejuvenated by the food of the Baratie echoed across the waters. Surprisingly, the cries ceased with the sound of creaking wood. Through the open door, Zora could see the massive flagship of the Kreig Pirates split in two and begin to sink beneath the sea. Aware of the whirlpool affect caused by sinking ships, the owner of the restaurant ordered the anchor to be hoisted. Swinging herself over the stair banister, Zora darted after Luffy as the rubber man sprinted outside.

"Neechan! Neechan!"

Overlooking the feminine suffix, Zora helped Luffy pull Johnny and Yosaku up onto the Baratie when she saw the two swimming towards them.

"Oi, what happened to the Nami and the ship?" asked Usopp

"She took off with the ship and all the treasure!"

"WHAT?!" chorused Zora, Luffy and Usopp

"Oh, so it  _is_ him."

At the head chef's words, Zora turned her attention back to the wreck and searched for the man in question. There he was. Seated in a small, single sailed ship with green flames flickering atop their tapers, sat the man Zora had dedicated her life to defeating. Trembling with fear and excitement, Zora absentmindedly reached out to grasp Luffy's hand.

"There he is," she whispered, "the  _Sekai Saikyō no Kenshi_ , Dracule ' _Taka no Me no_ ' Mihawk."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your support! Anyway, Sanji will be one of the last to know but I will be asking you for your opinions later on as well, so please keep reading the a/n. Also, new chapters will be posted pretty frequently until school starts (next week). However, I will do my best to keep up a brisk updating pace.  
> PLEASE READ A/N AT THE END!

"Johnny, Yosaku, you still have your ship right?" the two nodded to Luffy, "Zoro, Usopp, go get our ship back!"

"Why bother?" asked Zora, "She clearly doesn't want to be part of the crew."

Luffy pouted, "But we can't sail without our navigator!"

"Fine." relented Zora when Luffy continued to stare at her, "Usopp, move your ass."

"Moving..."

She paused when she heard the shouts of some of the Kreig Pirates. Leaning over the railing of the Baratie, she saw the cause of their distress had drifted closer. Turning to Luffy, she set a hand on his shoulder.

"Sencho, remember what I said." Zora stared at the small craft, "That is Dracule Mihawk, the  _Sekai Saikyō no Kenshi_. Do  _not_ get in my way."

"Bastard!" hollered one of Kreig's men, "How dare you follow us all the way back! Monsters like you should stay in the Grand Line!" cocking a pair of flintlocks, the idiot fired upon the man

"Fool."

Unsheathing his great, black blade, the hawk-eyed man diverted the two bullets with a slight tilt of his wrist.

"H-how?" wondered the Kreig pirate, "I'm sure that was on target."

"He deflected them." answered Zora as she stepped up behind him, "I've never seen such gentle mastery." she called to the master swordsman

"A powerful blade is nothing if its wielder is weak." stated Mihawk

"And that blade is the one that cut this ship?"

"Indeed."

"That settles it." Zora slipped her bandanna off of her bicep and retied it around her head, "You are the man I've dedicated my life to finding...and defeating!" she drew  _Wadou_ , "Since you seem to have some spare time, what do you say we have a match?"

"A match you say?" the man stood but did not draw his sword, "Why should I waste time with a pitiful weakling like you?" he nimbly leapt from his ship to the deck of the wrecked flagship, "If you were even the slightest bit adept with a blade, you would be able to see the difference in strength between you and I without needing to draw your blade."

"I'm well aware that you're much stronger than I am."

"Then are you brave or foolish?" asked Mihawk, "There is a fine but clear line between a brave man and fool."

Zora drew her other two katana, "Neither." she answered, "This is my dedication to my ambition and to a promise I made."

"Very well." Mihawk snapped the strap of his cross pendant and, sliding it apart, revealed it to be a small, hidden blade

"What's the meaning of this?" demanded Zora, "Are you mocking me?!"

Mihawk's gaze did not waver, "Why use a sword to hunt a rabbit? A simple knife seems less overkill. It matters little that you are an accomplished swordsman seeing as this is the weakest of the four oceans." he held the small blade aloft, "Unfortunately, I carry no blades smaller than this."

"Enough of this!" Zora charged the man, " _Oni Giri!_ "

To her surprise and horror, the hawk-eyed man was able to stop her attack, neatly placing his knife where the her three blades crossed. The man did not seem to be exerting much strength, but Zora found that she could not force the slash to finish. Pulling back her blades, Zora began slashing at the man but he simply danced away from her blades, footwork swift and silent.

'How can we be this far apart? I've trained for this day and yet I can't land even a glancing blow.'

"You have power," admitted Mihawk, "but you lack the fine skills needed of a master swordsman." he dodged Zora's strike and, catching her off balance, struck her with the edge of his hand

'Kuina, is this what you felt when you believe than a woman could never defeat a man who had mastered the blade?'

Rising unsteadily to her feet, Zora aimed a graceless slash at her opponent. He dodged and, setting a hand on her shoulder, shoved her to the ground.

"Why does a weakling like you challenge me? What is your purpose and why do you continue to fight? You know very well that I am much stronger than you."

"I continue because I cannot afford to lose!" Zora readied her swords, " _Tora Gari_ _!_ "

She felt a sharp pain and, looking down, she saw the man's knife piercing her chest. He had slipped under her guard and thrust the knife at her heart.

Mihawk's brow furrowed slightly, "Why do you not step back? Do you wish for me to pierce your heart?"

"I'm not quite sure myself." admitted Zora, "I feel as if everything I have worked for, my ambition, my promises, my oaths, all would be meaningless if I stepped back. If I did that, I wouldn't be able to face you properly or return to face you again." 'if you let me live' remained unspoken

"What you just described is called defeat." stated Mihawk bluntly, "Would you willing chose death over defeat?"

Memories of Falk and Takao flitted through Zora's mind, 'Retreat is not defeat' is what they had taught her. But this was not a mere bounty hunt, so those rules did not apply.

"Death would be better."

Mihawk leaned in so close that Zora could feel his breath sweep across her skin, "Tell me  _girl_ , what is your name?"

"Roronoa Zora."

"I see." the hawk-eyed man withdrew his knife from Zora, "I suppose I'll be able to remember that." reuniting the knife with its sheath,Mihawk drew his black blade, "It's been a while since I've seen such a strong will. To show my respect I shall wield  _this_ blade, the most powerful blade in the world, to end this."

"Thank you for your acknowledgement, but I don't plan on dying." Zora smirked, " _Santoryu Ogi: Sanzen Sekai!"_

The two charge each other and Zora felt pain burst through her abdomen as two of her katana shattered. Sighing, she sheathed  _Wadou_ and stood, arms splayed to present Mihawk his target.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Zora smiled, "Wounds on a swordsman's back are dishonorable."

"Well said."

Agony seared through Zora when the man brought his blade down, dealing her a slash that stretched from her left clavicle to her right hip. Directing her fall so that her back was facing the Baratie, Zora winced as her body hit the salty water of the East Blue. She heard Luffy's scream and the shout of that perverted cook as he declared that abandoning one's ambition was a simple task. As she sank beneath the waves, Zora wondered what her two mentors, Falk and Takao, would say if they saw her now. This was not the first time she had taken up a challenge far outside the realm of her abilities.

* * *

_"Hey Matcha-chan, check this out!" Falk shoved the wanted poster he found in the desk of the room they had rented for the night, "This guy's only 7,000,000 beli, but you did say you wanted a challenge."_

_"Oi, give that here." Takao snatched the poster from Falk, ignoring the other man's whining about courtesy and papercuts, "As I suspected."_

_"What is it?" asked Zora as she looked over the man's shoulder_

_Takao sighed, "Despite his bounty, this man is not someone you should hunt at this time. He used to be a member of a bounty hunting group I was part of before I met this fool." he gestured towards Falk, "You aren't ready."_

_"What's that supposed to mean Bakao?"_

_"Look girl, I know you've face down criminals with firearms, but what you've been dealing with are mostly flintlock pistols and occasionally muskets." he sat down on the bed, rested his elbows on his knees and laced his fingers together, "This man uses a rifle. Even though we call them bullets, the ammunition used for flintlocks is more similar to a musket ball than a rifle bullet."_

_"Here, lemme explain." Falk dug around in the desk and came up with a quill and some parchment, "Here's what you're used to." he drew a circle and shaded it so that it looked three dimensional, "The guy Takao's talking 'bout uses these." he drew a cylinder with a rounded cone capping one of the ends,"Rifle bullets are much faster and harder to cut or deflect than what you're used to and they're much more accurate too." he turned to Takao,_ _"Personally, I still don't see the problem. Zora's a smart girl and besides, we'll be with her."_

 _"Dammit Falk, you can be so fucking dense sometimes!"_ _Zora was shocked, Takao rarely raised his voice and if he was cursing, someone was in deep shit, "Even if we are there, we aren't fast enough to stop a rifle shot if the bastard tries to shoot her! I may hate his guts, but that shithead is a fucking crack shot with any firearm!"_

_"Don't worry so much, we got it covered."_

_"Yeah Baka-Taka," chimed in Zora, "I got it handled!"_

_She couldn't have been more wrong. By the time they had gotten out of firing range, Zora had suffered a plethora of gunshot wounds and Takao had to carry her as he limped back towards the town. Falk covered their retreat and met them back at the inn, terrifying the poor receptionist when she saw his bloodstained clothes and sluggishly bleeding forehead._

* * *

"Zo-...-ro...Zoro...say...-thing, please!"

Zora choked out a mouthful of blood and allowed herself to be lifted into the ship Johnny and Yosaku had fetched earlier. Usopp, aware of Zora's situation and worried for both her health and his own, he knew angering Zora was practically suicidal, made sure that he and the two bounty hunters were between Zora and the Baratie, blocking the view of anyone on the restaurant deck.

"It's far too early for you to die!" Zora heard Mihawk declare, "My name is Dracule Mihawk! Find your true self and rise to your greatest potential! I will await you at the top and when it is time, come find me and challenge me again! Surpass your limits! Surpass this blade! Surpass me! Rorona Zora!" Zora, despite being an atheist, would later thank any god she could think of when she discovered than none of the spectators had noticed that Mihawk had announced  _Zora_ and not  _Zoro_.

"Oi! Luffy!" Zora summoned her remaining but dwindling strength and raised  _Wadou_ , "If you can hear me...sorry for worrying you. You'd be in a real mess if I didn't become the strongest." she struggled to catch her breath, "Sencho, I swear to you, I will never lose again. Until I defeat him, I WILL NEVER LOSE AGAIN! I PROMISE, _KAIZOKU-O!_ "

With that said, Zora felt herself losing consciousness. As she let the blackness claim her, Zora smiled. She now had two promises to keep, one from her past, and one for her future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So far I've got a few people mentioning how they like Zora's flashbacks. To be honest, I was originally just going to add in a few Kuina or Saga memories here and there. But what do you know, we end up with a mini background story, pre-Mugiwaras but post-Shimotsuki. Anyway, I was wondering if I should continue adding in Falk and Takao or if I should wrap that part up and just have Zora remember Shimotsuki flashbacks. Please comment and let me know, thank you!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kinda disappointed about the lack of response from the last chapter, but here's another chapter anyway. Also, just a heads up, the next chapter is pretty big but should be posted within the next few days. Thanks for reading!

_"-ra...Zora...ZORA!"_

_"Shut up Falk!"_

_"Hmm, what happened Bakao?"_ _Elbowing Falk to the side, Takao sat on the edge of the bed as Zora slowly regained consciousness, "I remember a gunshot." she smiled mirthlessly, "If Falk's actually calling me by my actual name, shit must've really went down, ne?"_

_Takao sighed, "You gave use a scare there Z-chan, I told you it was too soon."_

_"What happened?"_

_Falk sat leaned against the wall next to Takao, "You charged in without thinking." stated Takao, "You got shot before Falk or I could catch ya."_

_"Souka..."_

_"It's been awhile since Baka-Taka and I've gotten a scare like that." commented Falk as he mussed up her hair, "Try not to do that again, ya?"_

_"Hai."_

_"Look, next time, just wait for me and Takao to catch up."_

_"Does this mean I can still go hunting with you guys?"_

_Falk shrugged, "I don't see why not." he turned to Takao, "Wanna go get some more posters and set out tomorrow?"_

_"You...you moron! She's got shot in the abdomen, has multiple fractures, broke her clavicle, damaged her scapula, fractured her tibia and almost bled out cause that bastard almost hit her femoral artery!" Takao was seething, "Do you_ not _understand the concept of bed rest and recovery!"_

_"Ah..."_

_"Don't answer that." Takao slapped his partner upside the head_

* * *

"W-we're here." stammered Johnny, "This is Ar-Arlong Park."

When they had treated her wounds, Zora had explained to her former hunting partner that Usopp was already aware of the fact she was a girl. However, other than the sniper, the captain was the only other one of the crew who knew, and she planned to keep it that way for as long as possible.

"This is it?" asked Usopp

Smirking, Zora lifted  _Wadou_ , "You two, prepare to attack."

"WHAT!" chorused the two men, "Are you insane?"

"We need to find out what we're up against!"

"Fishmen are much stronger than humans! Nee-chan, please be reasonable!"

Zora glared at the two, "Sorry, but my captain requested that we retrieve that woman. I refuse to disappoint him."

"Refuse 'cause he's your captain or because you  _like_ him." teased Usopp

"Sh-shut up!" face glowing red, Zora turned to face the upcoming island, "Prepare to-"

Silently agreeing that the green haired woman was likely to get them all killed, Usopp and Johnny knocked her down with a solid blow to the head. Zora would be sure to return the favor at a later time. Scowling at the two men after then secured her to the mast with a length of rope, Zora's ire rose when the two ignored her demands for them to untie her in favor of searching for the Going Merry. Apparently they spotted the lamb headed caravel since Usopp ordered Johnny to head for the Merry.

"Untie me!"

Usopp crouched down next to the enraged woman, "Maa, maa, you're still wounded. Fear not though! I, the great Captain Usopp, shall retrieve Nami from the clutches of Arlong the Fishman!"

Suddenly, Usopp ducked down along with Johnny, both trembling and stuttering something about fishmen. As they sailed past, Zora kicked Usopp with her bound legs.

"Dammit Usopp! Untie me you shitty long nose!"

"Shhhhh!"

A group of fishmen had been conversing on the next next to the Going Merry and, at Zora's shout, noticed the unfamiliar ship glided past. Diving into the water, two of the fishmen headed for the ship.

"Abandon ship."

"Yes Captain Usopp."

The two dove off of the ship and, still bound to the mast, Zora spat curses at them as they had forgotten to untie her in their haste to get away.

"Oh, what's this?" asked one of the fishmen, "Just one woman?"

Zora grimaced as he poke her shoulder. If there was one problem with torso injuries, it was that she had to avoid binding so that her injury could heal. At nineteen, she clearly had a woman's bust, which was quite noticeable if she refrained from binding.

"You suppose she was their hostage?" asked the other

"Looks like it." commented the first, "Still, we should take her to Arlong before finding the two who jumped overboard."

Commandeering the ship, the two fishmen set sail for Arlong Park. Zora tried to bite one of them when he freed her from the mast, but was unable to before he lashed her wrists together behind her back. Spitting in his face, Zora pelted the two fishmen with profanities as they head for their boss.

* * *

 "Open the gates!" called one of the fishmen when they reached the entrance to Arlong Park, "We found a suspicious woman!"

Ungraciously dumped before the sawshark fishman, Zora scowled at Arlong, daring him to antagonize her. The fishman repeatedly asked her what her purpose for being near the park was. Ignoring him, Zora glanced about the enclave, searching for the orange haired navigator.

"Answer me  _onna_!" commanded Arlong, "What is your purpose for being here!?"

"My captain asked me to retrieve a certain girl." growled Zora, "Now piss of you damn  _tekkadon_."

"Hmm, this bitch has guts." Arlong glared at Zora, "But  _never_ call me tuna again! I will pardon your mouth this time, but do not forget your place you lowly human. We fishmen are superior to you humans in every way possible."

"Arlong, enough of you speciesism."

Zora managed to keep her jaw from dropping at the sight if the orange haired navigator as the younger girl appeared in the doorway behind the fishman's throne. Despite his obviously serious superiorty complex, Arlong admitted that Nami was different from other humans and that he valued her as a gifted cartographer.

"Oi Nami, what does he mean by ' _our_ cartographer', aren't you Luffy's navigator?"

"You know this woman?" Arlong glanced at Nami

The orange haired girl scoffed, "No, she's just part of the last crew I infiltrated." she sneered, "They provided me with quite the haul of treasure." she knelt down in front of Zora, "Apparently they're stupid enough to believe I'm part of their crew. Though I suppose they did manage to keep  _some_ things secret."

'I'll explain later.' mouthed Zora silently, Nami gave her the slightest of nods, "So I guess this is your true nature? Hating pirates yet being one yourself."

"That's right," Nami turned so that the tattoo on her shoulder, the one matching Arlong's flag, was visible to the green haired woman, "I'm an officer of the invincible Arlong crew."

Zora held her tongue as Nami continued to insult Luffy and his crew, claiming they were strong but stupid and perfect for using as a means to gather treasure. Arlong laughed when Nami finished her explanation, stating that the girl was a sea-witch willing to forget the death of her parents in exchange for money. When Nami's eyes glazed over at the mention of her parent's death, Zora had had enough.

"Tch, 's not like I trusted her in the first place." Zora stated, "If you had said she had murdered an entire village in cold blood, I wouldn't have been surprised."

"Fine then!" snapped Nami, "Get out of here, you're an eyesore."

Kicking her legs forward, Zora hurled herself backwards into the inlet serving as the entrance to Arlong Park. Moments later, she felt arms wrap around her torso to drag her back to the surface. Coughing up a bit of seawater, Zora smirked up at Nami.

"Hah, you can't even watch one person die, weakling." she whispered, "Next time be a bit quicker, I thought I was gonna drown."

"Quiet!" Zora cringed when Nami dug her heel into her spine, "Keep up the act and you  _will_ die." she sunk her fist into Zora solar plexus, folding the older woman over as she fell to her knees

"Oi, Nami, what should we do with this woman?" asked Arlong

Nami walked towards the fishman, "I'll deal with her later. For now, lock her up."

Another fishman came running up and announced that the long-nosed fellow he had see Zora with had evaded capture. Rather annoyed at Usopp's carelessness, Zora winced as the residual saltwater seeped through her bandages, making the wound Mihawk had dealt her burn in pain. As she was dragged away by another fishman, Zora glared at Nami, cursing the navigator for her betrayal.

* * *

_"And that, Zora, it how you pick a lock!" proudly holding up the battered lockbox he had found, Saga motioned for Zora to open it_

_Zora shook her head but opened the box anyway, "Ne, Saga, where exactly did you find this thing?" she reached inside and lifted out a set of simple, but pretty golden earrings, "Sugoi. I think these are gold Saga!"_

_"Honto ni?" Saga gingerly picked one up, "Wow..." to Zora's surprise, the purple haired boy began to blush, "Ano, Zora, would you accept these? A-as a gift?"_

_Amused by the boy's awkwardness, Zora pulled him into a one armed embrace, "Only if you take this." she handed him an armband she had made when Kuina had insisted that she try her hand at weaving, "Let's have these gift represent our unbreakable friendship!"_

_Much to Zora's relief, Saga had, hopefully, lost any romantic interest in her once they had actually started hanging out together after practice. The purple haired boy had discovered he saw Zora more as a close friend than as girlfriend material._

_"Do you even have pierced ears?" asked Saga_

_"Nope, not yet." Zora held up a needle, "Care to help me?"_

_"That's dangerous! Who knows where that's been!"_

_"I sterilized it earlier."_

_"That's not the point!"_

* * *

Zora glanced up from her nap when she heard the metallic clank of her cell's door. She glared at Nami as the younger woman entered the room baring a knife. Bracing herself for a stab wound, Zora was shocked when the orange haired navigator sliced the ropes binding her and, to Zora's relief and annoyance, carelessly tossed  _Wadou_ down in front of her along with a few rolls of bandages and a button down shirt.

"Escape while you can."

When the other had left, Zora wrapped the bandages around her chest, tightening them to a probably dangerous point. Satisfied by her now mostly flattened bust, Zora shrugged on the shirt, thankful that Nami had been thoughtful enough to make it a button down one, pulling a shirt over her head would have been rather difficult and painful. Exiting the cell, she made her way back towards the entrance of the park.

"Hey, what are you doing here?!" demanded a fishman when he saw the green haired woman wandering around the compound

Yawning, Zora barely acknowledged the fishman, "Just killing time..." she drew  _Wadou_ and darted at him, "...and maybe you!"

Decimating Arlong's subordinate, Zora fought her way back to the entrance and, once she had run out of opponents, lay back and relaxed in the sawshark fishman's throne.

'I wonder where Luffy is?' she thought idly, 'Moron's probably gotten lost trying to find this place. Oh well, at least Yosaku's with him. They should get here soon...probably...eventually.' she sighed, "A few more minutes of this and I'll die of boredom."

"Oh, ooh!"

Looking for the source of the sound, Zora saw a trio of fishing rods peeking up from behind the park wall. The speaker seemed to be speaking to himself about the fish he was going to catch. Rising from her seat, she strode over to the wall and, settling herself atop it, peered over to see who was speaking. It turned out to be an octopus fishman.

"Hmm, the gutsiest fish in all of the East Blue? Does that seem strange?" the fishman asked himself

Zora chuckled, "Sure as hell seems strange to me."

"Wh-who are you?" the octopus pointed to himself, "Me? Oh, I'm Hatchan, aka Hatchi!"

"A fishman?"

"Yes indeed. I am a very fascinating octopus fishman!" the octopus gazed up at Zora, "And who might you be? A marine? A guest?"

"Well," Zora considered her options, "I suppose you could consider me a guest." she grinned, "Might you know where Arlong is? He doesn't seemed to be here at the moment."

"Ah, Arlong-san is chasing after a long-nosed intruder." offered the octopus, "He imprisoned some woman here earlier and now he's off in Cocoyashi Village looking for the other."

"Cocoyashi Village eh?" Zora leapt down from her perch, "Would you be able to tell me how to get there?"

"Sure, get in." the octopus pointed towards a large pickling jar, "You're a guest so I'll take you there myself Kenshi-san."

"Hmm."

* * *

"Here we go." Zora climbed out of the large pot when the octopus fishman landed it, "Arlong-san should be here somewhere."

"Ah, thanks."

"Enjoy your stay!" Hachi waved before submerging himself and swimming off

Zora smiled, 'What a strange guy. At least he was nicer than the other fish.' she headed in what was hopefully the direction of the village. It was not.

After almost an hour of wandering about the island, Zora finally stumbled across someone who was human and not affiliated with the Arlong. Though untrusting of strangers, the man was finally convinced to show Zora the way to Cocoyashi Village, though  _Wadou_ may have been used to convince him to show her the way. When she finally found someone who knew who Usopp was, she was told that he had managed to get himself captured and taken to Arlong Park.

"Fucking idiot." muttered Zora, "He just had to wait till after I got bored and started killing time by beating up those fishmen. Dammit Usopp, you'd better not be dead!"

She dashed down the road in what she hoped to be the direction of Arlong Park. Thankfully the park's tower was visible above the tress, who knows how long it would have taken her to get back if it hadn't been. After a few minutes of running, she felt the ground begin to shake, trembling as if there was an earthquake. Pausing, she searched for the cause of the shuddering. Speeding towards her was a small ship, grinding against the earth as it hurtled toward her.

"Gah! Luffy!"

Spotting her captain standing at on the bow of the ship, Zora called out to the rubber man as the maritime vessel crashed into her. Zora's terrible luck continue when the ship followed its landing path all the way into the side of a cliff. Clambering out of the wreckage, Zora slammed  _Wadou's kashira_ into the top of Luffy's head.

"What the hell are you idiots doing?!"

"Looking for Nami." stated Luffy, as if that explained anything, "Ano, where are Johnny and Usopp?"

"Shit." Zora went to run towards Arlong Park, but Luffy's hand on her wrist stopped her, "Let go Sencho, that pachinko-idiot got himself captured by Arlong! We have to hurry before he's killed."

"He's already dead." Farther down the path of their crash landing, Johnny fell to his knees, "He was killed...by Nami-anue!"

Zora froze, betraying one's crew was one thing, but murdering a member of the crew on top of that was quite another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tekkadon - steamed rice topped with tuna sashimi  
> Kashira - cap of the tsuka (handle)


	11. Chapter 11

_"_ _You know, I was wondering. Where did you get meito? Especially one of the 21 O Wazamono grade swords?" asked Falk_

_"It was my sister's. Her father allowed me to have it after her death."_

_"Ah..." Falk took a drink from his beer stein, "...forgive me for bringing up sad memories."_

_"Oi, Falk, stop being a pest." Takao commandeered Falk's drink and took a generous drink, "Still don't understand how you can drink this stuff. It's disgustingly sweet."_

_Falk light-heartedly slapped the other man on the back, "Hey, if you don't like Dunkel, don't drink my beer!"_

_"Cut it out before you start a bar fight." scolded the bartender_

_Takao and Falk turned to him in unison, "Piss/Fuck off!"_

* * *

 "Are you kidding me!" shrieked Luffy

"No, that girl is a witch!" exclaimed Johnny, "She's been winning Arlong's so the buried treasure in Cocoyashi Village can be hers!" he punched the ground in frustration, "She killed Usopp-aniki and she did it so calmly too. She's a monster. She had us fooled the entire-"

"Urusai!" Luffy grabbed the man by the collar

"Luffy, Johnny  is just telling us what he saw." she glared at the rubber man, "Ever heard the saying 'don't shoot the messenger'? This is one of those times." she noticed something orange out of the corner of her eye, "If you doubt him, why don't we ask the navigator in question?"

"What are you doing here?" Nami stood before Luffy, staff in a closed position but ready for use if need be

"Ah, we came to get you." Luffy brushed off his hat, "We're nakama."

"Nakama?" Nami sneered, "Don't make me laugh. You're just a group of fools who decided to work together for now."

"How dare you kill Usopp-aniki!"

"So what if I killed him? Either way, Arlong and his men are after Roronoa Zoro and any of his subordinates. It doesn't matter how strong you may think you are, fishmen are monsters who are stronger." Zora frowned, the fishmen she had beat up certainly hadn't been that much of a challenge, "Not that it matters to me, but if you stay on this island you'll be killed."

"Nami-san is so beautiful when she's being cruel!" gushed Sanji

Zora grimaced, "Don't go complicating things you fool!"

"Hai my-fuck off  _baka kenshi!_ "

"Where's Usopp?" setting her hand on  _Wadou,_ Zora stared cooly at the navigator

"Bottom of the sea."

"Why you-" Zora went to charge at Nami, only to find herself dodging a kick the blonde chef sent her way, "What the hell ero-cook?"

"You would strike a lady? What kind of swordsman are you?"

"Back off." growled Zora, "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"I supposed I'd be rather irritable too...especially after such a pitiful defeat." jeered the blonde

"Oi, leave Zoro-ne-" Zora glared at Yosaku, "Zoro-aniki alone!" he began waving his arms, "Besides, this isn't the time for arguing!"

"Exactly." agreed Nami, "If you're going to fight, do it somewhere other than this island. You've caused enough trouble as it is." she frowned, "Get it through your thick heads. I was only using you to gather treasure. Now that you're broke, I have no se for you any longer. You can have your ship back. Just get out of here and find someone else to be your navigator."

Looking at the orange haired girl with a bored expression, Luffy leaned backwards, falling flat on his back in the ditch carved by the crashed ship. Claiming he was going to sleep until Nami came to her senses, the rubber man explained that he was not interested in leaving but he couldn't care less about the islands politics.

"Suite yourselves!" screamed Nami, "Go die for all I care!" she ran off down the road back towards the village

Shaking her head, but smiling at her captain's antic, Zora sat down beside the rubber man, "Oi, Senchi, not that I'm against napping, but you sure you wanna sleep in the middle of the road?"

"Zoro, shouldn't we be running?" asked Yosaku, "That witch clearly told us what side she's on so there's no need to stay her any longer. Besides, Arlong is out to kill us!"

"Well, there is one reason to stay." Zora nodded towards Luffy, "He's staying so I'm staying too."

"Don't tell me you still want to retrieve that girl?"

"That's not for me to decide." explained Zora, "I honestly couldn't care less, but crew members are decided by the captain." she grinned, "It was nice meeting again but you're free to go if you want. No point in dying if you don't have a reason to."

" _Do_ you have a reason?"

"Aya, captain's orders."

"Well, take care." the two bounty hunters headed off down the road

* * *

 

_"Falk!"_

_The bounty hunter came running when he heard Zora's shout, tripping over furniture in his rush, "Matcha-chan, what's wrong?!"_

_"I think I'm gonna die..."_

_"WHAT?!"_

_"I'm bleeding, but it's different than usual..."_

_The color drained from Falk's face, "Um...Matcha-chan, where exactly are you bleeding?"_

_"..."_

_Takao chuckled at his partner's misfortune, opting to continue reading his novel in place of helping with the situation, "Hehe, what did you expect? She just turned thirteen recently." He grinned at his partner's look of despair, "Have fun Falk. This one is_ all _yours."_

_"Fuck..."_

* * *

 

"Oi,  _kuso-kenshi_ ," Zora frowned at the nickname, "I can't for the life of me understand why, when I look at you, three numbers keep coming to mind."

"Who knows, you're probably hallucinating." lied Zora, 'Who the fuck can tell a girl's three sizes just by looking at them?'

"Maybe." the man frowned, "Regardless, do you really believe Nami-san actually killed Usopp?"

"Are you saying you think she didn't?"

"Ah."

"Well I did make it seem like she was a small fry who didn't have the will to kill a person."

"Small..." Zora saw the cook's eyebrow twitch, "WHAT'S SO SMALL ABOUT NAMI-SAN'S CHEST?!"

"Hah?"

As the cook went to kick her and Zora brought  _Wadou_ up to block, they both felt their strikes connect...with Usopp.

"Hmm, I guess he is alive." commented Zora

"Or was." added the cook

Usopp crumpled to the ground, downed by his comrades' blows. Bolting awake, Luffy demanded that Usopp tell him who was responsible for his wrecked state.

"Was it Nami? Did she do this?" asked the rubber man

"S-he did it." Usopp pointed at Zora,"And him." the cook was accused as well

" _Anyway_ , we were told that Nami killed you." said Zora as she nonchalantly kicked Usopp for his almost complete pronoun slip up 

Luffy frowned, "That damn Johnny did lie to us!" he turned to Zora, "See, I told you!"

"You said squat to me." retorted Zora, "That was all aimed at Johnny."

"He wasn't exactly lying." mumbled Usopp, "She made it look like she killed me, but she actually saved my life."

Explaining to the group what had actually happened, Usopp reiterated the fact that, had Nami not stabbed herself instead, he would have surely been killed. When Zora asked what he planned to do next, the sniper, after immediately putting down her suggestion to storm the park, insisted that they try and fine out Nami's reasons for joining a fishmen pirate group. Just them, a young woman with purple hair walked up to them, stating that it made no difference what they did, Arlong would still rule this area of the East Blue.

"Ano, who's she?"

"Ah, Luffy, this is Nami's big sister, Nojiko."

To Zora's disgust, the cook instantly started gushing over the young woman. After warning the group not to interfere with village business, the young woman explained to them the circumstances that led to Nami's affiliation with the Arlong Pirates. Announcing that he didn't are about Nami's past, Luffy headed off in some direction, Zora wasn't sure which, claiming that he was just going for a walk. Shaking her head, Zora went to follow  her captain, telling Usopp that they'd meet up with them sooner or later. Later being the more likely of the two given Zora and Luffy's sense of direction (or lack thereof).

* * *

" _...could you repeat that?"_

_Zora scowled at Falk, "I said 'how do you bind breasts', do you have a hearing problem or something?"_

_"Ahaha, um...I'm probably not the best person to ask that..." Falk chuckled awkwardly, "That's really something to ask a Fräulein." Zora gave him an unamused look, "Wh-what makes you think I'd now something like that?!"_

_"Shut up you squawking parrot." snapped Takao as he walked into the room, "Now, what's going on?"_

_"Our little girl wants to be a man!"_

_"Huh?"_

_"I'm not little! I'm fourteen!"_

_Takao glanced back and forth between his hysterical partner and his unofficial daughter/apprentice, "Alright, someone tell me what's going on. And for heaven's sake, start from the beginning."_

* * *

"Oi, Luffy," Zora jogged to catch up with the rubber man, "we have a problem."

"Hah?"

Zora frowned, "Stupid ero-cook is so fucking woman obsessed that he's starting to pick up on  _that_."

"So?"

"Luffy!" Zora smacked her captain upside the head, "You know the last thing I want is for that moron to start fawning over me and treating me like some delicate flower!"

"Zoro's definitely no flower." commented Luffy before he rethought what the green haired woman had said, "Wait, do you mean Sanji's gonna start acting like he does around Nami?"

"Unfortunately." grumbled Zora

"No fair!" Zora was shocked by her captain's outburst, "Sanji can't have Zoro!"

"Oh yeah, Sencho, my name's actually Zora." she grinned sheepishly, "Kinda forgot to tell you that earlier."

"Zora?" Luffy tested the name out, "I like it!"

"HEY, STOP RIGHT THERE HUMANS!"

"Shit. Sorry about this Sencho." taking Luffy's straw hat, Zora placed it on her own head, concealing her rather conspicuous moss green hair

Luffy had unintentionally led them led them in a circle back to the wrecked ship. Seeing as the only ones around where her captain, herself and the three fishmen, Zora assumed the others had followed Nojiko elsewhere. Much to Zora's annoyance, Luffy walked past them without batting an eye. Slipping after him, Zora drew the brim of the hat over her eyes, avoiding eye contact with the fishmen.

"Who are you humans?" asked a familiar octopus fishman, "What are you doing on this island?"

"Why do you care?"

"Ah, you do have a point." Zora couldn't see what part of Luffy's response made any point whatsoever

"I'm Luffy, and this is Zora. We're just taking a walk."

"Ah, have fun on your date." Zora blushed, though she was a bit concerned how the fishman was able to discern her gender so quickly

One of the other fishmen frowned, "Where are you headed?"

"Hell if I know." Luffy continued walking, Zora trailing along a few steps behind him

Once they were past the fishmen, Zora quickened her pace to match Luffy's, "Sencho, where  _are_ we going anyway?"

"Cocoyashi Village, or whatever's down this road." Luffy continued walking, "Come on Zora, we have some question for the villagers!"

"Since when do you ask about anything other than food?" wondered Zora aloud

Entering the village, Zora spotted what looked to be a group of uniformed men following an older man with a pinwheeled cap. Grasping Luffy's arm, she dragged him behind the corner of a house.

"Shhh." she whispered when he tried to struggle, "Those guys are marines, you wanna get caught by the marines?"

"But hat pinwheel is sooooo cooool!"

"Quiet you idiot!"

To Zora's distress, Luffy seemed to have only two volumes, loud and louder. Thankfully, Zora was unsure how her captain had such good luck, the marines walked by without noticing them. However, the two pirates in hiding overheard the commander of the group mention something about leading the way to Nami's house. Exchanging a nod with Luffy, Zora crept after the group, pulling Luffy behind corners if the rubber man was about to get himself spotted. When they made it down the road to Nami's house, Zora pushed Luffy down behind some shrubbery lining the road. She barely made it in time to cover Luffy's mouth when the captain made to shout at the marines when he heard them say there were going to confiscate Nami's hidden savings.

'The things I do for this fool.' though Zora as she restrained the struggling rubber man

Her captive renewed his struggle as Nami began to berate the marine for prioritizing the confiscation of her treasure over stopping the tyranny of the Arlong Pirates. The man appeared to not care about the state of the village in the least, commanding his men to continue the search of the tangerine grove Nami had inherited from her adoptive mother, Bellemere. Attacking the marines who dared try to dig up her orchard, Nami desperately fought to protect her treasure (both of them).

"This girl's money is meant to save Cocoyashi Village!" hollered the old man who had led the marines to the orchard, "What right do you have to take it from her?!"

'So that's the reason.' though Zora as she tightened her grip on her struggling captive, "Luffy, hold still will you. This is important so shut up and let me listen." Luffy mumbled some indecipherable garble behind Zora's palm, "Shhh!"

"So are you telling me that we should arrest the entire village on the grounds of thieving?" asked the marine

"Dammit Luffy, you made me miss something." hissed Zora

"No, he's telling you that everyone from Cocoyashi Village is struggling just to survive!" shouted Nojiko as she advanced on the man, Zora had missed seeing her come out of the house, "We have to since we can't rely on any of  _you_ government people! If you have no intention of helping us, get out! Arlong will be after your ship too if you keep messing around here!"

"Really?" as far as she was concerned, Zora thought the marine seemed much to smug, "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Zora could see Nami visibly freeze, "D-dont tell me...Arlong sent you here..."

" _Mitsuketa_ _!"_ called one of the marines

'Time to go.'

Zora struggled to drag Luffy away from the orchard without garnering the attention of any of the marines. It was much easier said than done, given how the rubber man thrashed about, trying to free himself so that he could come to Nami's aid. His intent may have been to help, but for once Zora believed that fighting the men head on may not be the wisest choice. She increased her pace when she heard a gunshot go off behind them.

Making it back to the village before Nami, the old man and Nojiko was harder than Zora first though, her sense of direction delayed them quite a bit. However, she managed to haul Luffy back just moments before Nami and the old man arrived, carrying a wounded Nojiko.

"Nami!"

The orange haired girl didn't give Luffy the chance to utter a single word, "Why the hell are you still on this island?! Get the hell out of here!" she screamed, grabbing him by the collar of his vest

Throwing him at Zora, she ran off towards Arlong Park, no doubt to tell Arlong her opinion of his betrayal. Catching the rubber man, and grunting softly as she aggravated the healing wound Mihawk had given her, Zora shook him by the shoulders.

"Listen you rubber headed idiot." she snapped, "Now we know Nami's reasoning but we still need to find that nosy Pachinko Brain and the ero-cook. If you start running off to fight  _Jakoten_ , you will probably get lost and end up fucking things up. Damn sea  _majo_ will ask for help if she needs it. So quit screwing around!" she smiled, "I'm going to go find Usopp and the ero-cook, you wait here; I'm sure Nami will be back soon."

Patting Luffy on top of his hat, she turned and sprinted off towards where they had left the other two...or at least where she though she remembered they were.

* * *

"Zooorrooo!"

In hindsight, running aimlessly around the island probably wasn't the best way to try and find her crew mates. However, thanks to Usopp's call, Zora was able to spot the two men running up the road towards her. Quickly explaining the situation to the, Zora led them back towards the village. They arrived just in time to hear Luffy declare that he would help Nami rid Cocoyashi Village of Arlong and the rest of the fishmen.

 _"Ikuzo_."

Nodding, the three followed their captain back towards Arlong Park.

* * *

_"Good grief Falk, you look like you want to kill those girls."_

_Falk glared at his partner, "Don't you? I mean, they're staring at Matcha-chan like she's the next hottest thing since Criminal Brand took off!"_

_"You idiot. First of all, you know Zora probably hasn't noticed, not that she'd care if she did. And second, don't go making a scene just because some girls think our daughter's attractive. What's that look for?"_ _Takao as bit concerned by Falk's incredulous look_

_"Finally!" cried the shorter man, "It took you over two years to finally figure out she's like our kid!"_

_"Sentimental dumbass."_

_"Baka-Taka."_

_"What's going on?"_

_Noticing the two men had begun their typical insulting banter, Zora wandered over to them, wondering what the hoopla was about. To her surprise, and distress, Falk captured her in a crushing embrace, babbling some nonsense about girls, Zora and adopted children._

_"Gah! Falk, your crushing me!"_

_"Matcha-chan!"_

_"Bakao, help me!"_

_"..."_

* * *

 "Hmm, looks like Johnny and Yosaku kept the villagers from killing themselves." commented Zora when she saw that her two former hunting partners had blockaded the entrance to the park

"Ah, come on Zora-o." Luffy corrected himself when Zora subtly gave him a sharp kick to the shin, all without breaking her stride, "Move aside." he said, when they reached the crowd of villagers standing between them and the park.

Amused, but certainly not surprise, Zora looked on as Luffy made his own entrance way by punching a large hole into one of the walls surrounding the park. Inquiring which of the fishmen gathered was Arlong, Luffy cocked a fist, preparing for a fight.

"Arlong?" asked a sawshark fishman, "My name is Arlong. What are you."

"A pirate."

"Hey, that's the guy we saw earlier!" exclaimed an octopus fishman, "He was taking a walk with-"

"Yes, I suppose you did see us early." interrupted Zora

Two fishmen moved to block Luffy's path. Trying to antagonize the rubber man, they loomed above him, claiming that they had to learn the rules and grovel like the rest of the inferior human species. Clearly fed up with the fishmen, Luffy stretched up his arms and, much to the fishmen's surprise, slammed the head of the two together.

Arlong frowned, "And What does a pirate want with me?"

Winding up his arm, Luffy answered the sawshark by delivering a hook punch to his pointed jaw, sending him crashing into one of the other walls.

"Who the hell are you?"

"The man who's gonna kick your ass!" declared Luffy, "You made our navigator cry!"

Angered by Luffy's words, a mob of fishmen charged towards the rubber man, only to be stopped by a barrage of kicks.

"Dumbass," criticized Sanji, "don't go running in all by yourself."

"Tch," Zora stepped over an unconscious fishman, "and don't go hogging all the prey for yourself."

"Ah...I don't mind if you hog them all." added Usopp

"Gah!" the octopus fishman pointed at Zora, "That's the swordsman who tricked me earlier!"

"That's Roronoa Zoro." stated the ray fishman standing beside the octopus

"Isn't that Long Nose?" asked one of the other fishmen

The smelt-whiting fishman behind the octopus and the ray appeared to be frowning, Zora couldn't really tell due to his appearance, "If he's alive, that means that girl betrayed us."

"Pirates eh?" Arlong cackled from where he sat amongst the rubble that was formerly a wall, "I guess that explains what you wanted with Nami. It doesn't matter though. What could you four inferior beings possibly be thinking, challenging us fishmen?"

The octopus stepped forward and, Zora wasn't quite sure  _how_ it was biologically or anatomically possible, began trumpeting like a bugle through its mouth. When he finished, the sea began frothing and the park began shaking on its foundation and, true to character, Usopp began panicking.

"It's feeding time!" called the octopus, "Come on out! Mohmoo!"

Emerging fro the surf was a giant, green, cow-like  _something_ , Zora doubted the large, swollen lump on its head was natural. In fact, the sea cow seemed to be...crying?

"Oh, it's him." remarked Luffy casually

"He belong to one of the fishmen?" asked Sanji

Noticing that Luffy and Sanji looked scarily familiar, the sea cow turned and began to retreat back to the open sea. Zora smirked when the sea cow completely ignored the octopus's attempts to call it back to attack the group of four. However, when Arlong began to speak, Zora readied herself for an attacking sea cow. Eyes rolling back until only the sclera was visible, the sea cow turned and lunged at the four, a crowd of fishmen following its lead.

"I'll handle this." said Luffy when Zora readied  _Wadou_ , he braced himself by stamping his feet through the pavement floor of the park

Zora gave him a look, "Careful Sencho, I have a bad feeling about this." Twisting his torse into a coiled spring, Luffy extended his arms to grab the sea cow, "Oi, run!" she warned the other two

"Hah?"

"Don't question me ero-cook, I have a feeling we'll get crushed if we stay here." Zora backed away from the rubber man

" _Gomu Gomu no Kazaguruma!"_

Releasing the tension in his coiled body, Luffy swing the sea cow in a giant circle above his head, smashing the body of the marine bovine into any fishmen unfortunate enough to be in the way. Zora, Usopp and Sanji had vacated the nearby area and stood back, watching as Luffy decimated the ranks of the fishmen. When his body finished unwinding, Luffy hurled the sea cow back into the open sea.

"I didn't come here for these guys." panted Luffy, "I'm here for  _you!_ " he pointed accusingly at Arlong

"Perfect then." sneered the sawshark, "I was just thinking about killing you."

Regrouping with Luffy, Sanji and Zora both kicked the rubber man in the head while Usopp punched him in the back.

Sanji scowled, "Shitty-Gomu, whatch where you're aiming!"

"Luffy, are you tryign to kill us too?!" asked Usopp

"Next time be more careful." chastised Zora, "Um, is everything ok?"

Luffy had started fidgeting and then began rocking side to side, feet still buried in the pavement, "Ano, I'm stuck." he looked at Zora pleadingly, " _Tasukete_ Zora-." Zora punched him in the solar plexus, "-o."

Approaching the four, the three fishmen who had managed to avoid the sea-cow-turned-club, (the octopus, the ray and the white-smelting), prepared to attack.

"Looks like the main force is here." commented Zora, "Do any of you use swords?"

"Take care of these guys." ordered Arlong

Zora frowned as she saw the octopus take in a deep breath, inhaling as much as his lungs would allow, "That octopus is up to something."

"Hmm, I wonder what fishman  _takoyaki_ would be like." wondered Sanji aloud

The octopus fired a fountain of ink at the four and, as Zora belatedly realized, Luffy was unable to dodge and became coated with ink. Lifting a piece of the demolished wall, the octopus flung the heap of rubble at the stuck rubberman. Much to Zora's relief, Sanji managed to intercept the attack and kick the piece of wall in half. Though in all honesty, thought Zora, Luffy probably could have survived being crushed since rubber snaps back into place if its shape is distorted by a blunt force.

"Good grief, seems the captain I'm following is an idiot."

"No shit." muttered Zora

As Sanji exchange a passive-aggressive bout of conversation with the ray fishman, Zora challenged the octopus.

"Hey,  _takoyaki_ , I'll be your opponent." she nodded towards where Usopp was attempting to free Luffy, "Those two are a bit busy, if you know what I mean."

"Oh, Roronoa Zoro." the octopus paused before his expression turned to rage, "HOW DARE YOU TRY TO TRICK ME!"

'I didn't try to,' mused Zora, 'I did.'

"And how dare you cut down so many of my brothers!"

"It's not like your the first person(?) to want to kill me," stated Zora, "and you're certainly not the last. Either way, things have changed." she unsheathed  _Wadou_ , "Before, you were trying to destroy us. Now it's our turn to destroy you."

"Pathetic." Arong stood and began making his way over towards Luffy and the other two, Usopp had antagonized the white-smelting fishman and ran off when he saw the fishman pursuing him.

"Arlong-san..." began the octopus

The sawshark waved his hand, "Don't worry, I won't rampage...yet. But I did think of a game."

"Game?" muttered Zora, "What's he up to?"

Piercing the pavement with his hand, Arlong lifted the portion of cement Luffy had gotten himself stuck in. To Zora's horror, the sawshark fishman cast the rock, and the rubber man, into the inlet serving as the park entrance. Cursing, Zora went to dive after Luffy, only to be stopped by Sanji.

"Wait," Zora glared at the blonde cook when he blocked her path, "they want us to enter the water. In an underwater fight, we'd definitely lose." he looked her in the eye, "The only way to save Luffy is to beat up these jokers first."

" _Kuso_. Fine, have it your way ero-cook." she readied  _Wadou_ , "You take the fish, I need to practice making  _takoyaki_ anyway." she launched herself at the octopus.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jakoten - fish paste  
> Majo - witch


	12. Chapter 12

"Out of my way, shitty octopus!" cried Zora as she charged her opponent

Dodging the spray of ink the fishman shot at her, Zora slashed at his head, attempting to catch him in the neck. The fishman ducked, avoiding decapitation, momentarily mourning the loss of his rather ridiculous hair cut.

"You can't cut me Roronoa Zoro! I have six hands!"

Zora frowned, that made no sense whatsoever, and that was coming from her. However, she began feeling her body temperature rise as she exerted herself closer and closer to her limits. Typically an opponent this weak would be no problem, but with her wound from Mihawk still healing without proper treatment, Zora could feel a fever begin to set in. Gritting her teeth, Zora slashed at the octopus again only for him to dodge and attach himself to one of the nearby pillars with the suction cups on his arms.

"Get down here you damn  _tako_!"

"Roronoa Zoro, may I ask you a question?"

"Depends..."

"Why are you only using one sword?" asked the octopus, "I heard you used three."

Zora felt herself begin to sway, 'I have to end this soon.' tightening her focus, she glared at the octopus, "Fight me seriously you shitty  _kamaboko!"_

"Very well, I will show you my true form!" the octopus scuttle up the pillar to a second story room, "Be amazed!" he cried when he returned, wielding six swords, one in each hand, "Here comes Hachi! The fearsome  _Rokutoryu_ user!"

Pain seared through Zora's body and, to her digust, her knees gave in and she slumped to the ground. Through her fevered haze, Zora faintly heard the octopus, Hachi, rage at her for 'dying' before he could face her with his probably pathetic  _Rokutoryu_. Pushing herself to her feet through sheer willpower, Zora kept herself from gasping in pain as she fought to keep herself standing.

"Listen here  _tako_." rasped Zora, "There is a man I must meet and until I see him again, not even death himself can defeat me." placing _Wa_ _dou_ in her mouth, Zora slipped her bandanna from her arm and tied it over her head, "If you're so eager, I guess I can show you  _Santoryu_. Johnny, Yosaku, lend me your swords!"

Catching the thrown blades, Zora brought them up to block the octopus's flailing strikes, deflecting some and dodging others. Close to passing out, she summoned her remaining strength.

" _Santoryu: Toro Nagashi!"_

Exhausted, Zora managed to lift her head as the bleeding octopus verbally raged at her. She vaguely heard the fishman say something about wielder of three swords being unable to defeat a wielder of six.

"It doesn't matter how many swords you use against me. Your's will never be able to hold the weight that mine do!"

"So what if your swords are heavy." Hachi clearly completely missed the meaning of Zora's words, "Mine are at least 300 kilos per sword." he bragged, "They may not look it, but they must by much heavier than those swords you humans use."

"I don't see the point in explaining this to an idiot." murmured Zora more to herself than to the fishman, 'I need to end this.' she thought as her vision began to blur, " _Tatsu maki!"_ she cried as she spun, blades dancing with her and slashing relentlessly at the fishman

As the octopus crashed to the ground, Zora began to crawl towards the inlet where Luffy had been discarded.

"What are you doing you idiot?"

"Shut up!" snapped Zora, "Luffy's down there and we don't have time to wait for you to finish your fight. What the hell are you doing ero-cook?!" she watched as Sanji ran past her and dived into the water, "You idiot, you said they wanted us to fight in the water!"

Kneeling on the edge of the pavement, for too concerned to fully benefit from her brief respite, Zora could see the ripples in the water was the next match commenced underwater.

'Ero-cook, you'd better not die down there. Please give us enough time to save Luffy.'

Minutes later, Sanji burst through the surface of the water, gasping for oxygen. Informing Zora that Luffy was currently out of danger of drowning, the blonde man shouted for his fishman opponent to 'Get the hell out of the water,  _kuso-kamaboko_ ' and face him. When the fishman began proclaiming that humans had no possible chance of survival against a master of fishman karate, Sanji, annoyed by his ranting, drove a kick into his face. Following up with several consecutive kicks, the blonde announced each attack as some kind of word Zora had not idea what the actually meaning was, they sounded vaguely food-like in origin.

" _Mouton Shot_." the fishman was sent careening into the wall of the Arlong Park tower, "I guess...he's not staying for dessert." commented the chef

Finally standing from his relaxed sedentary position, Arlong gnashed his teeth and, glaring at Zora and Sanji, clenched his fist in anger.

Sanji turned to Zora, "Luffy's not in danger of dying, but I'll need to go back in to get him out. I doubt this guy here's gonna let me." he gestured towards Arlong

"Correct." Arlong began his furious onslaught

Zora gasped in pain as the flecks of water shot through her as if they were bullets. Glancing to the side, she saw Sanji suffering similar water inflicted wounds. She had gotten this far through sheer will power, but Zora could sense her consciousness fading as her wounds took their toll and her fever worsened. Just then, she heard the sound of water being coughed up and sprayed into the air.

"Oi,  _kuso-kenshi_ , Luffy's up. But we still need to free his legs."

"Hmm." Zora rolled painfully onto her side, her remaining strength was ebbing, "I can give you thirty seconds." she used Johnny's sword to aid her as she fought to stand, "I can't last more than that."

"That's fine!" Sanji dived back into the pool, Zora was really starting to hate that pool

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Zora as she placed herself between Arlong an the pool, "Stay where you are,  _Tekkadon!"_

"I recall telling you never to utter that word again." the sawshark's jaw was clenched, "DIE!"

" _Tamago Boshi!"_ Out of nowhere, a rotten egg flew at Arlong, not that it did any damage since the fishman lifted his forearm to block it, "Hang in there Zoro! I've got your back!"

Zora was puzzled as to how the sniper intended to help her...when he was cowering all the way across the yard by the wall Sanji had been thrown through earlier. By some miracle, Usopp seemed to have been able to defeat the white-smelting fishman who had left in hot pursuit of the sniper earlier. Regardless, the sniper's arrival did little to aid the situation.

"Looks like you'll be the first to die, Roronoa Zoro."

Taking another handful of water, the sawshark fishman fired the droplets at Zora. When she staggered, he seized her by the throat, lifting her so that her feet left the ground. Sneering, Arlong reached for the bandages covering Zora's torso.

"And what would these be for?" asked the sawshark, "Did you fall?"

Zora choked off a pained cry as the fishman tore the wrappings concealing her stomach, though pained she was glad he hadn't reached higher. Reopened, the slash wound Mhawk had given her resumed bleeding, the blood splattering on the ground beneath her after trickling down her legs.

"ZOORRAAA!".

Falling from the sky, Luffy had been propelled into the air when his lower body had snapped back into place after being convinced to the bottom of the pool while his head had been stretched above water. Permitting herself a tired smile, Zora gazed up at the falling rubber man.

"Welcome back Sencho. You're late."

Reaching out to grab onto Zora's shoulders, Luffy prepared to reel the green haired woman in and catapult himself towards Arlong. Zora's expression turned to one of horror when she realized his intentions.

"Oi, Zora, switch with me!"

"You idiot!" screamed Zora as Luffy collided with her grievously injured body

" _Wari_."

"Don't...you dare...die...Luffy..." succumbing to her wounds and fever, Zora slipped into a blissful state of unconsciousness 

* * *

_"Zora, do you ever think we could become the strongest?"_

_"Why not?" Zora gave Kuina a puzzled look, "No one except your dad can beat us."_

_"But we're girls..."_

_"Who gives a crap?"_

_"The world!" screamed Kuina, "No one would accept a woman as the strongest swordsman in the world, no one!"_

_Zora scowled, "Then we'll just hafta make them accept us."_

_"Don't be ridiculous, in a world ruled by men, a woman could never become the greatest." lamented Kuina, "And even if she was, no one would recognize her as such."_

_"Then we'll just change the world."_

_"You stupid idiot."_

_"I'm only stupid if you don't believe me."_

_"That makes no sense."_

_"Neither do you."_

_"This discussion is over."_

_"Whatever."_

* * *

 Zora awoke to the pain of a chunk of debris dropping onto her forehead. Sitting up, she took in her surroundings. All around her was the wreckage of Arlong Park, shattered pavement, crumbling plaster and broken lumps of stone surrounded her. As the dust cleared, Zora could see Luffy emerge from the remains of the tower.

"Nami!" called the victorious rubber man, "You're our nakama!"

'She'd better be.' thought Zora, 'After all this trouble, that witch had better be our nakama.'

All of a sudden, a euphoric cheer went up from the residents of Cocoyashi Village, elated by the defeat of Arlong and the fall of Arlong Park. Zora smiled as she saw the villagers lift Luffy into the arms and toss him above their heads in celebration.

"Shitty Gomu," remarked Sanji as he came to a stop next to her, "next time be quicker."

"Tch, hypocrite."

" _Kuso-kenshi_."

"Hold it right there!"

Zora grimaced, the damn rat-like marine she had spied on with Luffy had returned. As the man began claiming ownership of any and all treasure and valuables previously owned by Arlong and the fishmen pirates, Zora's patience (not that she had much to begin with) ran out. Strolling up to the man, Zora smiled sweetly before drawing back her fist and sinking her knuckles into the man's face.

"Read the mood you fucker!" she proceeded to beat up the other marines

Nami knelt down next to the fallen marine colonel, "This is for shooting Nojiko and digging up my mother's orchard." she slammed the end of her bo staff into the marine's head, sending him flying into the salt water, "You guys are going to repair Gosa Village and clean up all of this mess." she said when the man resurfaced, "Also, the money and valuables found in Arlong Park belong to the people of Cocoyashi Village, not you goddamn marines!"

As he swam off with his subordinates, the marine vowed that Luffy and his crew would pay for his humiliation. Irritated, Zora chucked a rock at the back of his head. When the villagers ran off to spread the wonderful news that Arlong Park had fallen, Zora pulled Luffy over to the side, leaving the others to continue their victory cheer.

"Luffy, next time you decided to getcher feet stuck in the fucking ground...don't." Zora punched him lightly in the shoulder, "You had all of us fucking worried for you, damn Gomu."

"Shishishi,  _wari_." the rubber man didn't sound the least bit sorry

"Also," Zora grimaced, "Nami found out."

"Found out what?" Luffy was puzzled

"Idiot."

"Ohhh..." Luffy gave Zora a concerned look, "You should be more careful."

"Care-YOU SHITTY GOMU!"

* * *

The rest of the day was filled with festivities in honor of Luffy's victory and the fall of Arlong Park, villagers from all over the island feasting, drinking, making merry and dancing the day away. Not that her eating manners were much better, but Zora felt the urge to cringe in disgust as Luffy raided the buffet table. Lucky for him, she was there to slam her palm into his back when he swallowed one of the serving plates in his haste to consume as much meat as possible. Unfortunately, the village doctor found her and, taking one look at her wounds, dragged her off to the infirmary.

"Gah! That-ah-hurts!"

Getting her wound stitched without anesthesia was painful to say the least. Grunting in pain the entire time, Zora agreed with the doctor that Luffy should definitely add a pirate doctor to their crew. Having even more people aware of her secret was not something that please Zora, but if that kept her from dying before fulfilling her promises, so be it. Besides, there were bound to be more critical injuries, what with the way Luffy kept dragging them off on adventures all the time. If Zora hadn't become so fond of the rubber man, she probably would have killed him some time ago.

"Ne, Zora, try some of this meat!" called Luffy when Zora exited the doctor's home, "It's soooo good!"

"Haha, aya Sencho, but first I need to find some decent booze."

Wandering down the streets of the town, Zora found what she was looking for and, without further ado, found a bench by the side of a house that was away from the main crowd, but close enough that she could keep an eye on the party goers. She ignored Usopp as he began singing (badly) about how he had helped defeat the fishmen. Victory songs were never her thing and, thanks to Usopp's musical ineptitude, her opinion plummeted even lower. She made sure to avoid Sanji, not that it was too hard, the blonde was enraptured by the village woman and was usually heard before seen. Thanks to the doctor's new sutures, Zora had been forced to forego her bindings yet again and, after explaining the situation to Nami, both women agreed that it would be best to avoid the perverted cook until Zora was able to safely and comfortably secure her bust once more. Though the doctor insisted a minimum of at least a week, Zora planned to start whenever Luffy decided it was time to set sail, the Going Merry was not exactly large enough to provide suitable privacy.

Speaking of Merry, the next morning, Zora, to the horror of the village doctor, bound her chest and began helping Usopp and Sanji load the lamb-headed caravel. Johnny and Yosaku, glad they had met up with Zora but thankful that they had survived Luffy's fishman adventure, bade the pirates farewell and set off to resume bounty hunting.

"Take care you two."

"Hai, Zoro-ne-" Zora threw a pair of apples she snatched from a nearby crate, grinning when the fruits made contact with the bounty hunters' faces, "Zoro-aniki." corrected the two men

"We should get going to." said Usopp, "Adventures, hopefully not dangerous ones, await!"

"Ah,  _chotto matte_ , where's Nami-san?" leave it to Sanji to remember the ladies

"Maybe she's not coming."

Sanji glared at Zora, "Don't tell me you made another pass at the beautiful Nami-san!"

"When the hell was the first time?" Zora frowned, "Idiot, I have no interest in Nami."

"Are you saying Nami-san isn't gorgeous enough?!"

"Moron."

Sanji turned to Luffy, "If Nami-san declines to travel with us, the 98.72% of my reasons for being here are gone!"

"Get the ship moving!" called Nami when she appeared down the path leading up to the docks

She began sprinting towards the ship, Luffy calling for Sanji and Usopp to unfurl the sails while Zora hoisted the anchor. Dodging the villagers congregated at the docks, the orange haired navigator took a running leap and landed safely on the deck of the Going Merry. Lifting the bottom of her shirt, to Sanji's joy and Zora's indifference, Nami revealed that, as she had evaded the villagers, she had pick-pocketed each and every one of them, relieving them of the wallets and coin purses.

'Well, you can't deny that Sencho chooses those with character.' mused Zora, 'Maa, time for a nap.'

Settling down in the crows nest, Zora relaxed against the tip of the mast as she let herself slip into another bout of sleep.

* * *

She was awoken by Nami's surprised scream coupled with Usopp's incredulous shout. Grumbling about idiots, Zora climbed down the rigging to see what had cause the commotion. A bounty flyer was pushed into her hands by a frantic sniper and, glancing at the image, Zora's brow arched as she took in the picture of a smile, mugiwara wearing, rubber man. What surprised her was the bounty. In the weakest of the four oceans, a bounty of 30,000,000 beli was an amazing feat.

"Congratulations, Sencho," Zora patted Luffy's hat, "nice bounty."

"Nice? Nice?!" shrieked Nami, "A bounty like that means marines and bounty hunters from all over are going to be after us!"

Zora grinned, "Ah, I have a feeling even Headquarters has taken notice."

"So?" asked Luffy

"You imbeciles!" Nami smacked Luffy upside the head, "Now what do you plan to do? You're probably the most wanted criminal in the East Blue!"

"Oh, that question's easy." Zora knew where this was going, "Time to head for the Grand Line!"

"YOU IDIOT!"


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, thanks for reading. Just as wondering if you guys want the Whiskey Peak chapter to be split into two or if you just want one long chapter. Please let me know. As a writer I value your opinions greatly. Also, cheers to KiaCoral for their wonderful feedback. Thanks for reading!

"Stop right there!"

Zora had been relaxing on the deck in the afternoon sun when a badly patched marine ship pulled up next to the Going Merry. When Luffy and Usopp commented on how it was irresponsible for the marines to send a scrapped ship out to sea, the commanding officer of the ship made his appearance and began declaring that he would be the one to turn in  _Mugiwara no Luffy_ 's bounty. The marine looked somewhat familiar, but Zora couldn't quite place where she had seen him last.

"Monkey D. Luffy, you're under arrest!"

"Ah, that's a nice picture of me." Luffy grinned when the marine held up his wanted poster

The marine gave them a malicious smile, "It says 'Dead or Alive'...Prepare the turret!"

"Luffy," Zora set her hand on the rubber man's shoulder, "Leave this one to me."

Nodding in thanks when Usopp dragged the captain to the side, Zora waited for the cannon to be fire. Drawing  _Wadou_ , she neatly sliced the ball in half when it flew at her. She smirked at the amazed marines as the two halves splashed into the water. The marine commander fumed when she reprimanded them for disturbing her nap.

"Fire!"

"Oh, that's not good." commented Luffy

"Hah?" Usopp's confusion was cleared when the marines' cannon malfunctioned and blew up in their faces

"There were cracks in the cannon." explained Luffy

When the marines' ship crashed into the Going Merry, the commander boarded the caravel and ordered his men to commence in hand to hand combat with the pirates. Zora yawned, already knowing the outcome when the marine slammed his fist into Luffy's head. Extending his neck, Luffy stretched back before sending his forehead to collide with the man's cranium.

" _Gomu Gomu no Kane!"_

Coming up from the kitchen below deck, Sanji sent the rest of the marines flying with a set of well-placed kicks. Grumbling about how brave (or stupid) the marine commander was for interrupting meal time, Sanji's grip on his fry pan seemed to terrify the marine. Following his men's example, the commander returned to his own ship before jumped overboard, abandoning ship lest the pirates decided to follow him and initiate a raid.

"Quiet down over there!" ordered Nami, "Can't a girl relax and read the newspaper?!"

"Nami-swan! I finished preparing your meal!"

"FOOOOOD!"

"Oi, Sencho..."

"Fingers off  _kuso-Gomu_!"

"Luffy!"

* * *

_"Falk, is it possible to cut a cannonball?"_

_The man looked up from where he had been reading the daily news, "Sure, why do you ask?"_

_"Teach me how."_

_"Falk, are you spouting nonsense again?"_

_"Taakaaooo." whined the shorter of the two men, "I'm not doing anything!" he pouted, "Matcha-chan wants to learn how to slice cannonballs."_

_Takao arched a brow, "What brought this on?"_

_Zora handed him a news clipping. The column on swordsmanship was probably her favorite section other than the Shichibukai articles if they were featuring a (very rare) interview with Dracule Mihawk. This weeks column had explained that, if skilled enough, a swordsman could defend against any kind of projectile, be it bullets, spears, knives or cannonballs._

_Practically glaring up at the two men, Zora repeated her request (demand), "Teach me how to cut a cannonball."_

* * *

"Looks like the only way into the Grand Line is through Reverse Moutain." informed Nami as she lay out a map before the rest of the crew

"Sounds stupid." said Zora, "Can't we just sailed straight through?"

Sanji shook his head, "From what the old geezer said, that's the only way for ships to get through."

"Why's that?" asked Usopp

"Beats me, old geezer never did explain." ignoring Usopp's demands that he explain what he meant, Sanji headed back to the kitchen to finish cooking

"We need to stop at an island and pick up some meat!" declared Luffy

"Grrr, talking to you gives me a headache." muttered Nami before pointing back at her map, "Look, we can stop here. It's has a city called Loguetown, perhaps you've heard of it?"

"Is it famous for meat?" Zora didn't know what Nami expected, but Lufy's question certainly wasn't it

"No you idiot. It's known as the city of the beginning and the end." elaborated Zora, "I remember being told about it before we met."

Nami nodded, "It's where the former  _Kaizoku-O_ , Gold Roger, was born...and where he was executed." she glanced at Luffy, "Interested in stopping there?"

"Ah, I want to see it, the town where the man who found the One Piece was born and where he died."

"Well, that settles it." Zora sat up and stretched before returning to her lounging position, "Next stop, Loguetown."

"Nami-swan, your supper awaits!" He turned to the others, "Zoro-ch-what the fuck?" Zora smacked Luffy when the rubber man started giggling at the blonde's confusion, "Oi, shitheads, food's ready."

Zora began throttling Luffy, "Dumbass!" she hissed, "Don't give  _it_ away!"

" _Wa...ri_...Zor...a."

"Hurry up, or there won't be anything left." Zora strode off towards the kitchen

"Gah! Zooorraaa you prooomiiised you'd share!"

"Quit whining!"

"But-"

Zora groaned, "I didn't say I wouldn't share. I'm just saying the others will each all the food if you keep dragging your ass!"

"Oh."

Scurrying over to the kitchen, Luffy plopped himself down at the head of the table and began indiscriminately grabbing food. Sanji's mushrooms, Usopp's potatoes, Nami's bread, everything was fair game. He barely managed to avoid getting stabbed by a fork when he reached for Nami's dessert, a delicious looking slice of  _mikan_ glazed chocolate cake. Zora rolled her eyes when the rubber man gave her a pleading look and, sliding her plate of dessert over to Luffy, temporarily relieved the table of thieving rubber fingers.

"Oi, you saying there's something wrong with my cooking  _kuso-kenshi?"_

Zora sneered at the cook, "No stupid, I just don't like chocolate."

Nami practically gasped at the older woman, "Not like-how do you survive...er... _that_ time?"

" _Ofuro_ and sake."

"Ah, souka."

"Survive what?" asked Luffy

"Nothing." chorused the two women

Luffy pouted, "Mean."

"Yes, yes we are."

"Ano," Usopp timidly pointed at the two woman, "it's kind of scary when you talk in sync."

"Deal with it!"

"Shutting up and dealing with it..."


	14. Chapter 14

"Whooo, this town is huge!"

"I should hope so." said Nami, "Pirates from all over used to come here, so they have everything you need for a sea journey."

"I'm going to go check out the execution platform!  _Jane_!"

"Wait, Luffy!" Usopp was too late to stop the rubber man, "We haven't decided where to meet up!"

As the crew split up to go shopping for supplies (Usopp), flirting with women (Sanji), searching for clothes (Nami) or exploring the town (Luffy), Zora meandered about the streets seeking out a weapon's shop. One that she could afford. When she found one that actually sold katanas instead of just broadswords and cutlasses, she was frustrated to see that the prices were much to high. She heard a commotion behind her. A group of ruffians had begun a dispute with a young woman holding what seemed to be a long sword or a staff wrapped in cloth. Something about how their boss was behind bars due to the young woman's boss. When the two men attacked, Zora's hand dropped to  _Wadou_  but she found her assistance was unneeded. The other young woman had draw her sword and, with two quick strikes, defeated her attackers.

"Wow lady, your strong."

"Nice work young lady."

Relaxing her stance, the young woman stood and headed for where she had drop her sheath. Well, more like tripped towards her sheath and, tripping over her own feet, fell, glasses falling at Zora's feet.

" _Megane, megane, megane_."

"Hey, these yours?"

Zora froze when the other woman looked up. She saw a face that she hadn't seen in years. Impossible as it was, the face staring up at her was that of Kuina, her deceased, adoptive sister. In her shock, Zora accidentally crushed the glasses she held in her hand.

"My glasses!'

"Shit!" Zora apologized profusely

"How could you do such a horrible thing? Those were expensive!" the woman glared at Zora, "Pay me for the damage you've caused."

"I...can't"

"What?" the woman leaned in, "Now that you mention it, you look like you haven't had anything to eat in awhile, the furrows in your brow give that way. Are your parents ill? Has your wife run off and left you with children to feed?"

"Ah, n-no."

"I don't need the details. Come with me."

* * *

 To Zora's disturbance, the woman led her straight to the marine base of Loguetown. Handing her a bucket and a mop, the young woman explained that the janitor had just quit his job and that this was an excellent opportunity for Zora to earn some money.

"Why on earth would I want to work for the marines?" asked Zora when the woman told her she was lucky to be able to work at the base

" _Shocho_." called a passing marine, "It's time for training."

"Good luck." said the woman, "Please do your best."

Gritting her teeth, Zora went to work cleaning the base. Good grief, what kind of stuff did the marines throw away? The trash smelled worse than Luffy after he ate beans. Splashing the floor with water, Zora glared at the mop in her hand. If she only used one, this job would take forever. Seizing two more mops, the green haired woman sped through the hall, trying to forget that she was using her precious  _Santoryu_  to clean the floors of a marine base.

"Oi, hold it right there!"

"Shit."

"Th-that's  _Kaizoku Gari no Zoro!_ " realized one of the marines, "What's he doing cleaning here?"

"Word is he's part of Monkey D. Luffy's crew."

"Get him!"

"You're under arrest!"

Darting forward, Zora swiftly dispatched the two marines. Leaving behind a couple beri notes along with a short written note, Zora promptly vacated the area. As she made her way back into town, Zora kept an eye out for any weapons shops. Entering the first one she saw, she stepped up to the counter and asked the man behind it if he sold katanas.

"Ah, yes, please feel free to browse around. You see, this should has been open for over two centuries." bragged the shopkeeper

Zora slapped a handful of notes onto the counter, "I've got 100,000 beri, do you have anything cheap enough that I can buy two of with this?"

"Ah,  _chotto matte_ , l-let me see that sword of yours."

"Fine," Zora handed  _Wadou_  to the man, "damage it and you're dead."

"Hmm, not a bad sword. I'll buy it from you for 200,000 beri. Sound good?"

Zora frowned, "Not happening."

"I'll make it 300,000 beri!"

"I refuse."

"500,000 beri!"

"I don't care how high you raise the price." snapped Zora, "It's not for sale!"

" _Tsude_." Zora really wished Luffy would share some of his extraordinary luck, "Did you finish polishing my  _Shigure_?" the woman from earlier noticed Zora, "Oh, thank goodness you're ok. Someone went on a rampage at the base earlier." she placed on a pair of glasses, "Whoops, forgot these." glancing down, her expression turned amazed, "Oh my, don't tell me, is that-is that the  _Wadou Ichimonji?_ " she took the sword from the shopkeeper, "If I recall, it is one of the 21  _O-Wazamono_  grade swords." she flipped through a small book of swords, "See? It's worth no less than 10 million beri."

"Why you-I should sue you for obstruction of business!" the shopkeeper scowled, "Look, the swords over there," he pointed at a couple of barrels, "are worth 50,000 a piece. Take whichever two you want."

"You must really love swords." commented the woman, "I remember hearing about someone who carries around three swords. A bounty hunter. I think his name was Roronoa."

"Sounds familiar."

"I would think so. He's probably the most famous swordsman in the East Blue." she frowned, "He's a notorious person though. Using swords as bounty hunting tools is disgraceful!" she sighed, "It's a shame that all of the famous swordsmen are pirates or bounty hunters."

Zora had been sorting through the swords in the barrel when her hand came upon a certain  _tsuka_. She lifted it up. When she saw the katana, the talkative woman beside Zora began flipping through her little book again.

"What is it?"

"I thought so." the woman gazed at the katana in Zora's grasp, "That is  _Sandai Kitetsu_. Is this sword really only for 50,000 beri?" she asked the shopkeeper, "After all, it's an  _O-Wazamono_."

"It's cursed." stated Zora as she calmly gazed at the unsheathed blade

The shopkeeper looked amazed, "You knew?"

"No," Zora shook her head, "I can just tell though." she subtly ignored the man as he described the bloodstained history of the  _Kitetsu_  katanas, "I like this one." a fearsome smile crossed Zora's face, "I'll take it."

"You fool! I can't sell that to you!"

Zora ignored the man, "I wonder which will win? My luck, or this thing's curse?"

Tossing the cursed blade into the air, Zora held out her arm, stilling it in the blade's downward path. Deaf to the shopkeeper's warning and the marine woman's gasp, Zora felt the  _shinigiji_  of the blade caress her forearm before  _Kitetsu_  blade buried itself in the wooden floor of the shop.

"Good blade." whispered Zora before she turned to the shopkeeper, "I'll take it." she turned to the Kuina look-alike, "Think you can choose me another?"

"S-sure." the other woman had fallen to her knees in shock and relief

"Wait a minute!" the shopkeeper ran upstairs, returning moments later with another katana, "This is the  _Ryo-Wazamono_ , _Yubashiri_. This shop isn't much, but this is the finest sword I have. Don't worry about the money for this or  _Kitetsu_. I apologize for trying to cheat you earlier, but it's been awhile since I've seen a swordsman with such a good eye. Please, take these swords as a gift. I wish you well on your journey!"

Thanking the shopkeeper and bidding him and the marine woman farewell, Zora set out to find her idiot of a captain. If left unsupervised, the possible disasters the rubber man could cause were innumerable.

'Please be ok, Sencho, I don't feel like digging your body outta a damn ditch or saving you from a sea king.'

* * *

"Oi, that's a pretty cool sword."

Zora had been sitting on a set of steps, admiring her new blade,  _Kitetsu_ , when Luffy had appeared out of nowhere and leaned in to take a gander at the blade.

"Ah, Luffy." Zora sheathed  _Kitetsu_ , "Don't startle me like that." she smiled, "What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for the execution platform."

"So you're lost."

"Yup."

"Why are you proud of that?"

"Shishishi."

"Moron," she fished around in her pocket, "I had some money left over, you want me to treat you to lunch?"

"Sugoi!" Luffy pounced and draped himself across Zora's back, " _Arigatou_ , Zora." he pointed in a random direction, "Let's go that way!."

"Hehe, alright Sencho."

Walking through the streets of town with the rubber man clinging to her back was not something Zora would admit to doing, but at least none of their crew mates saw them. When she spotted a small restaurant with a tri-colored flags framing the door, Zora headed over towards the door. Setting Luffy down, the two were seated at a round table near the record player.

"Ne, Zora, does your chest ever feel weird?"

Zora choked on a mouthful of wine, "W-what was that?"

"Does your chest ever feel weird? You know, like inside?"

"Oh,  _that's_ what you meant." Zora blushed, "Um, no not really. Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

"Luffy..." Zora's tone changed from embarrassed to annoyed

"Oi! Waiter! Can I have another roast!"

Zora smacked the rubber man, "Sorry," she apologized to the waiter, "ignore that last order."

"Zooorraaa!"

"I only have 100,000 beri." reminded Zora as she asked for the bill, when it came she groaned, "Luffy, please tell me you have money..."

"Nope."

"Fuck." Zora showed him the bill, "Did you order anything while I was in the bathroom?"

Luffy nodded, "Three roasts, two chickens and a rack of ribs."

"Idiot, I can't afford this."

"Ano, maybe they'll let us off?" Just then, a small bag of coins landed on Luffy's head, "Ah, lucky!" judging from the trajectory of the bag, it appeared that the fellows at the table next to them were nice enough to pay for their meal

'Honestly Sencho, what kinda luck do you have?'

Paying for their meal, Luffy returned the bag, thanking the cloaked person who had treated them. Chuckling, Zora directed Luffy towards the exit, deftly slapping rubber fingers away when they reached for food belonging to the other patrons. When they made it outside, Luffy headed for the execution platform while Zora searched for a decent napping place. Finding a place, Zora leaned back against a wall, eyes widening when she realized what had just happened.

'Did I just go on a lunch date with my captain?'

* * *

Storm clouds began to gather as Zora made her way through the streets, trying to find her directionally challenged captain. She ran into Usopp, Nami and Sanji, but she couldn't for the life of her find Luffy.

"Oi, have you guys seen him? We got separated earlier." she frowned, "Also, something strange is going on. I get the feeling some thing bad's gonna happen."

Moments after she had finished speaking, a crowd of people ran by the group, shouting that 'pirates are here!' and 'it's  _Doke no Buggy_!'. 

"We should get to the square." decided Nami, "If he ever found the execution platform, he should be around there."

"An execution is about to start!" Zora overheard someone down the street holler, " _Doke no Buggy_ is going to be executing  _Mugiwara no Luffy_!"

"Let's go." nodding, Zora dashed after Sanji as the blonde chef headed for the square with the execution platform

'Luffy, please hold out. Just until we get there!'

Sprinting towards the square, the two pirates ignored the steady flow of fleeing civilians (the ones that Buggy hadn't stopped to ensure that he had an audience), dodging some and shoving their way past others.

"I WILL BECOME THE  _KAZOKU-O!_ "

At Luffy's shout, Zora hastened her pace, "Hurry up ero-cook!"

"Shut up  _kuso-kenshi_."

Finally reaching the square, the two screamed for the execution to stop, startling the people they had appeared behind.

"Zora! Sanji!"

"For shame Luffy," teased Zora despite the serious situation, "I thought there was a limit to how much you could fool around."

"A sideshow eh? Allow me to join you." added Sanji

"To late  _Kaizoku Gari_ _!"_ cried Buggy as he lifted his blade, preparing to bring it down upon the rubber man's neck

"Sanji, the pirates." Zora darted past the cook, "I'll get Luffy."

If the green haired swordsman was actually using the cook's name, this was no time to idle. Kicking and slashing their way through the oncoming Buggy Pirates, the two raced towards the platform.

"Zora, Sanji, Usopp, Nami..." Luffy smiled serenely, " _Wari_...I'm dead." 

" _LUFFY!"_

Heart racing, Zora could only watch as the blade arched down. She was unprepared for the blinding flash of lightning that struck the tip of the swords, crashing down upon the two figures on the platform. Blue flames licked at the platform as the support beams trembled and bowed, sending the platform crashing to the ground. Freed from the stockade Buggy had trapped him in, Luffy retrieved his beloved straw hat. Laughing and commenting about how lucky he was to be alive, he brushed of the dust before placing the hat on his head.

"Time to go." Zora removed  _Wadou_ from her mouth, "Trouble's brewing and I don't want to stay and find out."

" _Get them_ _!_ "

Marines came streaming into the square, aiming to apprehend the numerous pirates gathered there.

"Sugoi!"

Zora grabbed the back of the rubber man's vest, "Idiot, now's not the time to be amazed. We have to get outta here."

"Head for the ship or we'll never get off this island." instructed Sanji

Retreating, the three fought their way out of the crowd and back towards the street leading to the harbor. Once they were past the square, Zora noticed that there were very few marines, apparently they had all focused on containing the square and had not expected anyone to escape. Offhandedly, Zora wondered what would have happened had Luffy not been a rubber man, he probably would've gotten fried by the lightning like Buggy had.

"Hey, Luffy, do you even know where we're going?"

"Yep, to Merry."

"And do you know where Merry is?"

"Nope."

" _Then why are you leading the way?!_ "

"Quite arguing you idiots!" snapped Sanji, "Just keep running."

"Fuck."

Standing in their path was the woman who had been with Zora when she acquired  _Sandai Kiteetsu_ and  _Yubashiri_. The young woman began muttered under her breath about how Zora had lied to her, witholding the fact that she was  _Kaizoku Gari_   _no Zoro_ and that she was a pirate. Ignoring Sanji's display of dismayed anger, Zora stepped forward, gently pushing Luffy behind her.

"I didn't lie, you never asked for my name."

"I cannot allow a criminal like you to own a sword like  _Wadou Ichimonji_."

Zora smirked, "Just try to take it."

Steel rang as the two blades clashed, neither woman willing to allow the other the upper hand.

"How dare you attack a lady!"

"But Zora is-"

" _Shut up Luffy!"_

" _Wari_."

"Don't interfere." stated Zora, "Go on ahead, I'll catch up later."

Drawing  _Yubashiri_ , Zora slashed at the other woman, overpowering her with  _Nitoryu_ and disarming her of her blade,  _Shigure_ if she remembered correctly. Leaning in, she told the marine woman that she could not allow her to have  _Wadou_. Sheathing the two katana, she turned, meaning to catch up to Luffy and Sanji.

"Why aren't you finishing this?!" screamed the marine, "Is it because I'm a woman?" she seethed, "How dare you humiliate me just because you're a man. Physical strength does not make men superior than women in terms of swordsmanship!"

"Don't you dare lecture me on something you have no idea about." snarled Zora, "Just because you look exactly like my dead sister does not mean you have the right to tell me what I already know. I don't like you, your very existence is painful!" she turned, "I have a ship to catch." her eyes narrowed, " _Never_ , lecture me about being a woman in a man's world."

Turning, she took of running towards the harbor. Suddenly, a gust of power swept her off her feet, sending her crashing into the rest of the people and debris lifted by the gust. When it ceased, Zora pushed a broken door aside and, to her relief, saw Luffy and Sanji emerge from nearby piles of wreckage, she wasn't sur why Usopp was there, hadn't he gone on ahead with Nami?

"Hurry up," ordered Sanji, "We need to get to the ship and Nami-swan!"

" _Gomu Gomu no..._ "

"I have a bad feeling about this..."

"Luffy, wait-"

" _...Rocket!"_

'We have  _got_ to find a better way of traveling.' though Zora as she and the other three soared through the air

Hitting the sail and dropping onto the deck, Zora brought a hand up to rub at her pained head. As the Going Merry cut through the choppy sea, Zora wondered what the next adventure this pirate crew would encounter. Hopefully next time Luffy wouldn't get himself almost decapitated.

"To the Grand Line!"

On second though, Zora was never that lucky...with their luck, someone was probably going to be eaten by something or other...


	15. Chapter 15

"Mystery Mountain up ahead!" called Luffy as he clung to the sail yard, "Come look!"

"Ah, the Red Line." Usopp looked nervous, "We won't crash into it...right?"

"Damn, the ocean really is climbing up the mountain." stated Zora as she peered through a pair of binoculars, "Oi Nami, who's got the rudder?"

"Usopp and-WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!"

Zora had heard the splintering of wood but ignored it in favor of staring at the massive rock wall Merry, was about to collide with. Thankfully, Luffy was able to redirect the Going Merry with a surprisingly well timed  _Gome Gomu no Fusen_. Smiling as the ship ascended the mountain, Zora felt the air grow frigid as they made it past the clouds. Reaching the peak of the mountain, Merry began her descent, plummeting towards the waters below. Then, a low, muffled roar echoed through the air.

"Oi, did you guys hear that?" Zora glanced around, trying to find the source of the sound

"It's probably the wind!" answered Nami

"Nami-san, there's mountain up ahead!" called Sanji from his place on the ship's rigging

"What? There shouldn't be!"

"Who cares!" cried Luffy, "Full speed ahead!"

As they broke through the bottom layer of clouds, the crew was greeted by the sight of a giant, black mass. A giant, black mass that they were about to collide with, realized Zora. Upon closer inspection, the mass turned out to be a rather lost whale.

"Wh-wh-what do we do?!" panicked Usopp

"Fight it?" suggested Zora

"Are you insane!" Nami stared at the other woman, "There's no way we can fight that thing!"

"Maybe it won't notice us." commented Sanji, "It looks like a wall from here so I doubt it's eyes can see us."

"Try for the left!" Zora ran for the rudder only to find that it had snapped away from the floor, "Who the fuck broke the rudder?!"

Just then, the cannon mounted on Merry's front went off, creating a kickback that slowed the caravel enough that it did not crash into the whale, but not enough to prevent the lamb's head from snapping off the bow.

" _GAH! MY SPECIAL SEAT!_ "

If Luffy was screaming, Zora could predict that they would soon find themselves in deep  _deep_ shit. Grabbing the oars and thrusting one to each of the other crew members, Zora was relieved to find that the whale had yet to notice their presence.

"Get us out of here!" Nami stage whispered

To Zora's sheer horror, Luffy, enraged that his special seat had been broken off, extended his arm and rammed his fist into the whale's eye.

" _YOU IDIOT!"_ cried the rest of the crew

"Hah! Serve's you right? You want more?" taunted Luffy

Zora slammed her heel into the back of Luffy's head, "Shut up before you get us all killed!"

Water began gushing into the whale when it opened its jaw, the Going Merry drifting towards its open maw as well. Luffy managed to fall overboard and slung himself up and out of the whale' mouth. When the whale's mouth closed, Zora resigned herself to the fact that the  _Mugiwara no Ichimi_ had indeed been swallowed by a giant whale.

"If we live through this, I'm going to kill that idiot!" cried Nami

"To all the lovely ladiess I will never be able to-"

"Can it ero-cook!"

"What was that  _kuso-kenshi_ _?"_

"Cut it out you two!"

"Ano, why are we outside?"

At Usopp's question, the crew, sans captain, looked up to see that they were still buoyant and that there was a blue sky with scatter clouds above them. Up ahead was a small cottage with a palm tree growing in the yard. Before they could get a closer look, an enormous squid broke through the surface of, well, whatever they were floating in. Almost immediately, a number of harpoons pierced the squid's flesh, sending it sinking back into the waves.

"That had better be a person." muttered Zora, "I've had enough fishmen for a lifetime."

Sanji nodded, "Agreed."

From the house emerged a humanoid being that Zora sincerely hope was a man, though she wasn't quite sure. It turned out to be an old man with horrendous fashion sense (in Nami's opinion). The man seemed to glare at the pirates as he made his way over to a lawn chair and, to their surprise, simply sat down and began to read the newspaper.

"Say something  _teme_ _!"_ yelled Sanji

"N-not that w-we want to, b-but if it's a f-fight you want, then it's a f-fight you'll get!" promised Usopp, "We've got cannons!" the man's eyes widened

"I would prefer you didn't. If you do,  _someone_ will die."

"Yeah, and who might that be?" ground out Sanji

"...me."

"You bastard!"

Zora set a hand on the fuming cook's shoulder, "Oi, calm down." she addressed the man, "Hey,  _jii-san,_ where are we and who are you?"

"Isn't it common courtesy to introduce oneself before asking questions?"

"Ah,  _gomen_ , I'm Roronoa Zo-"

"I am Crocus, the lighthouse keeper. I'm a 71 year old Gemini. My blood type is-"

"Why you-!"

"Oi, calm down."

"As for where we are," continued the old man, "We're inside something are we not?"

"So it is the whale's stomach." deduced Usopp

Nami screamed, "What! I don't want to be digested!"

"The exit's over there." informed the man after the crew had yelled at him for trying to continued what he had deemed 'a running gag', "You may go if you wish."

"We can get out of here?" Zora could have sword Usopp was crying tears of joy, the sniper denied any sort of lacrimal activity vehemently

"Nami, let's get out of here." Zora nodded towards the door, "We should go try to find Luffy."

She barely finished speaking when the waves of what was probably stomach acid began sloshing against the ship. When questioned, the old man explained that the whale, Laboon, was slamming his head against the Red Line, as if trying to break through the red, rock wall. While Nami and Usopp came to the conclusion that the old man was trying to kill the whale from the inside, Zora was more concerned about Luffy's whereabouts and the safety of the crew, Merry's wooden hull wouldn't last forever against the whale's stomach acid.

"We can't stay here forever, grabs the oars and start rowing!" commanded Zora, "I saw Luffy make it out of the whale's mouth so get your asses in gear and let's get out of here!"

She ignored Usopp's shouts about the old man diving into the gastric acid, it wasn't her problem if the man wanted to get digested. To her surprise, and relief, Luffy came crashing through a set of doors located high about the acid, near the top of the ladder the old man had started climbing after he had made his way from the island to the stomach wall. The two people who had dropped from the door with Luffy appeared to be a blue haired woman and an orange haired man, both of whom were totting large firearms.

"Oi, Luffy."

"Oh, everyone's ok then?" Zora nodded, "Good. Now- _Tasukete!"_

"The old man disappeared again." called Nami

Zora shook her head, "Forget him, we need to save Luffy."

Setting her katanas and  _haramaki_ on Merry's deck, Zora dove into the acid, searching for Luffy. Resurfacing with the limp rubber man, she heaved them both over the rail and onto the ship. She glanced at the two strangers who had also boarded the ship.

"Not to be rude...but who the fuck are you two?"

"Oi, be polite to the lady  _kuso-kenshi!_ "

Reappearing in the doorway after the waves had died down, Crocus vowed that the two people would never get the chance to harm Laboon. Standing, the two strangers claimed that it mattered not whether Crocus tried to stop them or not, the whale was their mission and they intended to fulfill their obligation. When Crocus dived towards the cannonballs the two had fired and took the hit in place of Laboon, Zora wondered if the old man was still alive and kicking as he dropped from the air. As the two laughed at Crocus's bravery, or stupidity, Zora wasn't quite sure, Luffy punched the two, causing their heads to collide with a resounding thump. Zora didn't even bat an eye as the two slumped to the deck.

"How dare you hit a lady!"

"Tsk, calm down ero-cook."

Back on the island, Crocus explained that the two strangers were thugs from a nearby town, they had been relentlessly hunting Laboon for whale meat, two to three years worth if Zora was to judge from the whale's size. He also explained that Laboon was an Island Whale, a species of whale native to the West Blue, that had a reason for his odd behavior.

"He's a whale with a human heart. He's been waiting for the return of a certain pirate crew...for 50 years..."

Crocus told the crew the story of the whale, how Laboon had followed a group of pirates into the Grand Line as a baby. Apparently the whale had refused to stay int he West Blue where the pirates had left him, and followed them all the way up and over Reverse Mountain. The pirates had stayed in the area for a few months while they repaired their damaged ship, becoming close friends with the lighthouse keeper. When repairs were finished and the pirates prepared to leave, the requested that the lighthouse keeper look after Laboon, for it was far too dangerous for a whale of his size to be traveling in the Grand Line. Promising to return in a few years, the pirates bade their favorite whale farewell and sailed off into the Grand Line. They never returned and, after fifty long years, the poor whale was still waiting for his friends to reappear.

Leading them down a inter-whale canal, Crocus informed the crew that he was a doctor. He turned down Luffy's request that he become their ship's doctor, claiming that he no longer had the energy for the adventures their crew was sure to encounter. Nami correctly deduced that all of the canals and scaffolding inside Laboon were for whale maintenance. Confirming this, Crocus opened a set of doors leading from Laboon's abdomen to the sea outside. When they made it to the open sea, Zora sighed as Usopp began wondering when the whale's crew mates would return.

"Pachiko, they're dead."

"How can you be so hopeless?"

"Fifty years ago, the Grand Line was much more dangerous and wild than it is now." explained Nami, "The chances of surviving back then were slim to none."

"They fled the Grand Line." stated Crocus, "I confirmed it years ago. However, even if they made it out of the Grand Line alive, that does not mean they survived their experience. The Grand Line is unlike any other ocean. Those who enter with a weak mind never return the same...if they return at all." he sighed, "I've tried to tell him. But I believe that Laboon believes that if he accepts the truth, then there is no point in waiting for their return. That is his greatest fear. There is no way to return to the West Blue from here. Those pirates he came here with were his new family."

Zora felt an impending headache when she saw Luffy rush past, a ship's mast held firmly in his hands. Running up the whale's head, Luffy stabbed the mast into the whale's nose.

" _WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!"_ screamed the crew

Seeing her captain fighting with an Island Whale was one of the strangest things Zora had seen in all nineteen years of her life, not quite the strangest but it was up there. Calling it a draw, the rubber man challenged the whale to another fight, thankfully not that instant, claiming that he was strong, strong enough for the whale to want to fight. Zora felt a funny sense of nostalgia wash over her, this was far too similar to when she had clashed blades with Dracule Mihawk. Luffy promised the whale that he would return after sailing across the Grand Line. If whale's could cry, Zora was certain Laboon would have been bawling his eyes out. To seal his vow, Luffy drew, or at least tried to draw, the mark of the  _Mugiwara no Ichimi_ on Laboon's massive nose.

"Well," whispered Nami to Zora, "at least he doesn't brag about his artistic skills."

"What skills?"

"That's my point."

"I'm gonna take a nap. Unless someone's dying or Luffy's about to accidentally kill someone, don't wake me up."

Sprawling out on the deck, Zora began to nap.

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, sooooo, school has started and I'm just getting use to my schedule. I definitely don't plan on long hiatuses, but updates will probs be coming less frequently. Either way, here's the next chapter. Also, the next part may just be elongating this chapter, not a new chapter. So check for updates, not new chapters.

"-ra...Zora...Zora, Zora Zora!"

"Goddammit Luffy, what?!"

Zora had been rudely awakened from her nap by Luffy's incessant poking and calling. Luffy pointed to her right and, glancing over, Zora saw what she assumed to be a badly constructed snowman. Apparently it had started snowing since she had fallen asleep and, childish as they were, Usopp and Luffy had taken the opportunity to play with the snow. Needless to say, Luffy's sculpting skills were just as poor as his drawing skills.

"That snowman is an insult to snowmen everywhere."

"Mean." Luffy pouted

"Hahaha!" cackled Usopp, "Tis' I, Captain Usopp. The most skilled snow-craftsman ever to sail the Grand Line! Behold my masterpiece!" with a flourish he presented his work, "Feast your eyes upon the timeless beauty of Snow Queen!"

"Sugoi, that's amazing!" exclaimed Luffy, " _Yuki no Panchi!"_ shoving the pole he had used as the snowman's arm, Luffy propelled the stick into Usopp's sculpture, decapitating it

"Why you- _Hissatsu: Usoppu Sokusha!_ " the sniper began hurling snowballs at the rubber man

" _Gomu Gomu no Boringu!"_ creating a massive snow-boulder, Luffy chased Usopp

"Enough you-" Zora was interrupted by a snowball to the face, " _Santoryuu: Kenshi Fubuki!"_ stirring up a whirlwind, Zora buried the two under a mountain of snow

"Screw you idiots."

"No thanks," muttered Usopp,"but I'm sure Luffy-" Zora hit him in the face with a well aimed snowball

"Finish that sentence and your dead." yawning, she walked back over to her place by the railing and leaned back, "I'm going to take my midmorning nap.  _Don't_ wake me up."

* * *

_"BAKAO! TASUKETE!"_

_At the call, the man ran towards the source of the scream. His worry soon turned to amusement and annoyance when he saw the cause of Zora's distress. Despite Zora's abhorrence of anything pink, frilly or feminine, Falk had a nasty habit of trying to get the green haired girl to try on dresses. The current item of horror was a pastel green frock with white lace trimming. The scene was actually quite comical for any third party viewers. After all, it wasn't everyday that you saw a thirty-something year old man hounding a teenage boy, insisting that he try on an article of women's clothing._

_Turning to the shopkeeper next to him, Takao calmly stated, "I am in no way associated with those two."_

_Spinning on his heel, the bounty hunter exited the store at a rather brisk pace._

* * *

Yawning, Zora stretched and made her way across the deck, confused when she found the rest of the crew and the strangers they had picked up all sprawled out on the wooden floor, exhausted.

"Oi, should you guys really be lazing around? I know the afternoon breeze is nice, but come on."

Luffy answered her as the rest groaned, "We're headed for some place called Whiskey Peak. It's where those two," he pointed at the strangers on the ground, "are from."

"Souka. Though I am curious, why are we helping them? We don't owe them for anything

"Nope, not really."

Zora smiled, "Sencho, you're way to nice to people, especially strangers." she knelt down in front of the two, "I don't recall you ever telling us what your names were."

"M-Mr. 9."

"M-Miss Wednesday."

"I see." Zora allowed herself a hostile smirk, "Something's been bothering me about those names. Pretty sure I've heard them before, though I'm not sure-"

"Zoro," Nami practically had an aura of rage surrounding her, "don't you  _dare_ sleep through everything! All crew members are expected to help out during weather emergencies!"

" _Kuso-kenshi_ ," Zora winced when the cook kicked her in the back of the head, "wake up sooner next time!"

"Hey, hey, look!" Luffy was waving his arms around like a lunatic, pointing at something ahead of them, "It's a giant cactus island!"

Ignoring the two strangers when they dove overboard and began swimming towards the island, Zora focused on calming Usopp down as the sniper began muttering about cacti monsters preparing to ambush them. When Luffy stated that they could always leave if there was trouble, Nami went through the task of explaining how, even if there was danger, if they wanted to the log pose to set, they had to remain on each island for a certain period of time in order for the magnetism to be recorded. Zora honestly couldn't care less about the workings of the log pose as long as it helped them get to the correct destination.

" _Ikuzo_ ," Luffy grinned, "Iff there's trouble we can always kick its ass. Ne, Zora-" Zora elbowed him in the ribs, "-o."

"Hai, and I'll protect you Nami-swan, Zo-the hell?" if Zora hadn't slapped her hand over the rubber man's mouth, Luffy would have undoubtedly started cackling like a hyena

Usopp was practically shaking in fear, "Ano...my chronic case of I-can't-go-onto-mysterious-islands-itis is flaring up..."

"Make sure to be ready to run or fight at any moment." warned Nami, not soothing Usopp's nerves in the least, "And for heaven's sake, not everything has to end in a fight!" these words were directed specifically at Luffy, Zora and Sanji

As they sailed through the narrow inlet leading in from the sea, Zora got the feeling that something, or someone, was watching them. Along the shore, silhouettes began appearing, thankfully humanoid, but nevertheless concerning. Keeping her hand on  _Wadou_ , Zora noticed Usopp ready his slingshot and Sanji shift into a lower stance. The fog cleared gradually and, to Zora's surprise, the island's inhabitants seemed to be celebrating their arrival. Suspicious, Zora made a note to observe them closely. It was rare for the arrival of pirates to be accepted, let alone welcomed as heroes of the sea

"Nami," Zora discreetly nudged the other girl, "keep an eye out for trouble. I have a feeling something's up."

The other nodded, "I figured. The boys probably won't notice anything though."

"Hmm."

"Wel-" Zora wasn't sure if that was the man's hair or a wig, "ma-ma-maa. Welcome to our town. I am Igarappoi, the mayor of Whiskey Peak. This town thrives on the making of spirits and music. Please, allow us to throw a welcome party for you so that we may hear tales of your adventures at sea."

"YES PLEASE!" chorused the three males of the  _Mugiwara no Ichimi_

'Idiots.' thought the two women

"Ne, how long will it take to store this island in the log pose?" asked Nami

The mayor arched a brow, "Forget about such boring things. Please, just relax and enjoy the party!"

* * *

The merriment lasted all afternoon and in the evening, Zora felt her suspicious feeling return full power. Taking in her surroundings, the green haired woman saw Usopp spinning tales of his 'great adventures at sea' to a crowd of curious (gullible) listeners. Taking a long drink from her mug, Zora was thankful that Falk had at some point taught her how to measure alcohol content when drinking. Though a bit sweet, the wine served was immensely pleasing to her palate and, as far as she could tell, alcohol free.

"Now, a toast competition to celebrate our wonderful harvest!" announced the mayor

At Nami's insistence, Zora partook in the drinking contest, making a note to herself to thank Takao and Falk for teaching her how to hold her liquor. Finishing her tenth drink, Zora wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and took a gander over at the buffet table to check on Luffy. Her captain was stuffing his face, as usual, completely ignoring the astonished looks he was getting. She studiously ignored Sanji as he flirted with every woman possible. Reaching for the next drink, Zora paused, something was different. Narrowing her eyes, she decided enough was enough.

"This is enough, I quite." Zora set her cup down, "I'm going to sleep." she glanced at Nami, "Cheers  _majo_."

Closing her eyes and dropping her head onto the table, Zora listened as the festivities gradually died down. She heard a thud, probably Luffy collapsing into a food coma. Nami's raucous laughter filled the air as the navigator claimed victory over a grog drinking nun. Zora wasn't at all religious but she was pretty sure nuns didn't drink. She figured the cook and the sniper were also out judging by the lack of bragging and the absence of the cook's crappy pickup lines.

"Pst, Nami, all clear."

After the last of the partying had died down, Zora signaled to the navigator that it was safe to 'wake up'. While the other went to go raid the town's treasury, Zora crept up to the roof and eavesdropped on the surprisingly interesting conversation the mayor was having with the nun and the two strangers they had met back with the whale.

"What do we do about them?"

"Bounties drop by 30% if the target is killed." explained the 'mayor', "Capture them alive."

"Maa, maa," Zora sat so that she was visible on the rooftop, "mind letting them sleep? They've had a long trip."

"Mr. 8, Miss Monday, the  _haramaki_ guy escaped when we weren't looking!" called one of the 'townsfolk'

"How are you awake?" asked the 'mayor', "Miss Monday spiked your drinks, you should be out cold!"

"As if I would let my guard down like that." Zora tsked, "It's insulting to think that you thought a swordsman would leave themselves unguarded in a place like this." she stood, "Now, if I'm not mistaken, this town is a bounty hunter nest, no? Once they enter the Grand Line, I have a feeling many overconfident pirates get sucked into your trap." she did a quick estimate, "Hmm, looks like there are about a hundred of you." she smirked, "I'll take you on...Baroque Works!"

"How do you know that?!" demanded the startle 'mayor'

"Let's just say I have a few connections and that my line of work used to be pretty similar." explained Zora, "Besides, you guys tried to recruit me a few years ago. As you can see, I rejected the offer. I have no use for anonymous coworkers and I never saw the need for a codename. Of course, the thing that bother me most was the idea of taking orders from a boss that no one knew the identity of."

"Since you clearly know far too much about our organization, we have no choice but to kill you."

Zora grinned, "You're free to try."

Using a stealth trick Takao had taught her, Zora concealed herself using the shadows and, as far as the Baroque Works agents could tell, disappeared. She 'reappeared' in their midst, shocking the ones she was next to. Surrounding their target, the bounty hunters started off their elimination effort by encircling the woman and firing their pistols and rifles at her.Darting away from them at inhuman speeds, Zora avoided the shots, causing the bounty hunters to shoot each other instead of their green haired quarry. 

"You fools! He's just one man, kill him already!"

Smirking, Zora slipped behind the 'mayor' and, unsheathing  _Wadou_ , let the blade rest upon his shoulder, "Looking for me?"

"W-wait! Are you going to shoot me too?!" cried the 'mayor' when his fellow bounty hunter aimed at Zora, and by default, him as well

Blowing through saxophone, the 'mayor' somehow gunned down the men who had drawn their weapons on him. Taking advantage of the confusion, Zora slipped behind the side of a nearby house, waiting for the hunters to make their next move. Smiling down at her sheathed swords, Zora dropped a hand to  _Yubashiri_. Perhaps it was time to try out her new katanas.

" _M_ _istuketa,_ " announced one of the hunters, "Die!"

Executing a backwards roll, Zora dove into the house, narrowly avoiding the man's shot. Taking  _Yubashiri_ , she cut an opening through the crowd of hunters who blocked the doorway, instinctively dodging the hail of bullets the hunters fired at her.

'Hmm, quite light.' mused Zora, 'You'll serve me well  _Yubashiri_.'

Sprinting down the street, Zora scaled a ladder up to the rooftop of one of the houses. Barely ducking in time to avoid a cannon shot, Zora hoisted herself over the top of the ladder, taking out the men on the roof with a wide, arching kick. Slicing the mallet of her next attack in half, Zora felt  _Kitetsu_ radiate a massive amount of bloodlust. Impressed by the blade's honed edge, Zora decided to let  _Kitetsu_ out to play. Climbing up to the next level of the roof, Zora waited for the next wave of hunters to show up.

"Haha, now there's nowhere for you to run!" bragged the foremost hunter as he mounted the ladder, "No we've got you cornered!"

Smirking, Zora placed her hands on the end of the ladder and, allowing herself a mischievous grin, tilted the ladder back. It over balance and, as it fell, Zora used it as a stepping stone as she leapt to the next roof.

" _Santoryu: Taka Nami!"_

Landing, Zora blew away the crowd of hunters waiting for her. Taking  _Kitetsu_ , she drew a circle in the roof top, stepping aside as another group of hunters descended upon her. Coolly warning her opponents that the rooftop was unstable, Zora calm walked away as the circle caved in, Baroque Works agents falling with it into the house. Mentally thanking Takao for his awareness training, Zora manage to avoid the brunt of the attack when the woman the 'mayor' had referred to as Miss Monday swung a ladder at her.

"Do not try our patience." warned the agent, "There is no man who can best my strength." she donned a pair of iron knuckles

'Funny how you should mention that...' thought Zora as the other woman lifted her by her throat

Bringing her leg up, Zora hooked her knee over the woman's arm and, stomping her foot towards the ground, broke the woman's grasp. Crouching low, she delivered a series of swift punches to the woman's solar plexus before ramming her shoulder into her opponents clavicle. Standing, she reached up with one hand and grasped the woman's head, putting pressure on her temples.

"I don't doubt that you haven't found a man who can best you in strength." muttered Zora to herself, "To bad for you, I'm a woman."

Stepping over to the edge of the roof, Zora gazed down upon the shocked agents. She withheld her laughter when the 'mayor' assumed that the government had made a mistake, that she was the captain and actually the one with the 30,000,000 beri bounty. As the man, Mr. 9 if Zora remembered correctly, began to explain the significance of the numbers each agent had, Zora grew bored with the lack of fighting. Testing out her new blades had given her an adrenaline rush she had yet to come down from.

"I really don't care what number you are." she said, "Titles are nothing if you can't back them up."

The 'mayor' fired a volley of bullets at Zora and, leaping to the next rooftop to escape, Zora heard Mr. 9 call for Miss Wednesday to help him attack. While the man attacked head on, the blue haired woman whistled, an abnormally large duck answering her call.

"What the hell is that?" Zora wondered if Sanji had a good recipe for duck

Behind her, she hear Mr. 9 cackle, "Letting your guard down? Not a wise decision!"

Blocking the man's strike after he had pulled out dual metal bats, Zora frowned,  _Kitetsu_ was acting up again. Deciding to humor the cursed blade, Zora began a series of quick jabs at the male agent, pushing him back until he reached the edge of the roof.

"Hah! See if you can keep up with my acrobatics now!"

To Zora's amusement, the man executed a semi-decent backflip...right off the edge of the building.

"That's one of their strongest?" muttered Zora

"Hahaha, prepare to face another of Baroque Works's strongest agents." claimed the blue haired woman from before, "Now feast your eyes on my allure and prepare to die!"

The woman began a rather odd dance, spraying Zora with a cloud of pungent perfume. Unused to the biting scent, Zora drop to one knee, shielding her nose and mouth with her forearm.

'Damn, this shit smells like Luffy right before bath day.'

Satisfied that her opponent seemed to be weakened enough, the blue haired woman charged at Zora atop the ridiculous looking duck. Oddly enough, the incompetent duck ran right past Zora...and right off the roof. Wondering how exactly those two jokers were some of Baroque Works's strongest, Zora narrowly dodge the barrage of bullets the 'mayor' fired at her through a weaponized saxophone. Slicing a hole in the roof with  _Kitetsu_ , Zora dropped down to the floor below, running outside when she got the chance.

"How dare you beat me like that!" declared Mr. 9 as he emerged from the broken pieces of the crate he had destroyed with his landing earlier

Zora arched a brow, "I didn't do anything. That fall was all you."

Launching the end of his bat like a  _kusarigama_ , Mr. 9 ensnared Zora's arm and, thinking that he had her trapped, called for the 'mayor', Mr. 8, to finish her off. Stepping out of the shadows, Miss Wednesday appeared to have Luffy as a hostage, threatening to kill him if Zora did anything to retaliate.

"Luffy, you idiot." muttered Zora, "At least wake up when you're being held hostage."

Throwing her weight against the chain, Zora lifted Mr. 9 into the air, using him as a shield against the onslaught of Mr. 8's bullets. Following through, she hurled the man into his partner, sending Miss Wednesday and the duck crashing into a building. Sprinting towards Luffy and using his engorged stomach as a rubber springboard, Zora leap and when she was in range, slashed Mr. 8's torso, halting his annoying shots. Sheathing  _Wadou_ , she didn't bother turning around, knowing she had hit her target when she heard the thud of Mr. 8's body hit the rooftop.

"Well, now to enjoy this cool night breeze."

Sitting on the rooftop, Zora allowed her legs to dangle over the edge, gently kicking them back and forth as she let the night breeze ruffle her cropped hair. In the distance, she heard a muffled explosion. From her rooftop perch, Zora was able to overheard the conversation between the two new arrivals and the three fools she had defeated earlier. Mr. 8 was apparently Igaram, a Squad Captain of the Alabasta Kingdom while Miss Wednesday was apparently Nefertari Vivi, princess of the Alabasta Kingdom. Having infiltrated Baroque Works and found some interesting secrets, she was now the target of the two new arrives, Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine if Zora overheard correctly. Then, she realized a very important fact she had forgotten earlier.

'Shit, I left Luffy down there with those jokers.'

Staring over the edge of the rooftop, Zora watched as the princess's guard was soundly defeated by the bomb man. Thoroughly done with the ensuing drama, Zora vaulted over the side of the rooftop, not the front where the Baroque Works agents were, to retrieve Luffy. Observing the action from a relatively safe distance behind the wall of a house, Zora watched as the Mr. 5, Miss Valentine pair easily overpowered Mr. 9. She felt a hand grasp her ankle and, looking down, found the former Mr. 8 sprawled on the ground.

"Kenshi-san, please, I have a request as ridiculous as it may be."

"No shit." snapped Zora, "Two minutes ago you were trying to kill me."

The former agent ignored her, "Because of their Akuma no Mi, I am unable to defeat them. Please, I beg of you, protect the princess in my stead!"

"Are you mental?" Zora continued to attempt to pry her leg from the man's grasp

"If you manage to return the princess to the kingdom of Alabasta, I can assure you that you will be rewarded handsomely!"

"Immense reward?" Nami was perched on a nearby wall, "I think one billion beri seems like a reasonable sum."

Zora feigned disinterest as Nami bargained with the man. Not that she was surprised when Nami ordered her to retrieve the princess, Zora was still indignant that the younger woman though she could order her around like a dog. Muttering profanities under her breath but obeying the younger female, Zora sprinted after the runaway princess and her oversized duck. She made it just in time to intercept another of Mr. 5's snot-bomb attacks. Lowering  _Yubashiri_ so that the miniature bomb was cleaved in two, Zora placed herself between the blue haired woman and the two agents.

"Damn you!" screamed the princess, "Of all the times, why must you be so persistent!" Taking one of her peacock slashers, the woman slashed at the back of Zora's head

"Idiot." stated Zora, leveling  _Wadou_ at the woman's throat after disarming her, "I'm here to save you. Your guard managed to convince my friend to persuade us to help you."

The woman in the lemon-print dress, Miss Valentine, sneered at Zora, "So you're the swordsman who trashed this lovely town of ours."

"Why would you protect the princess of Alabasta?" asked Mr. 5

"I have my reasons." Zora frowned, "Now get lost."

"Either way, you are our enemy and you're standing in the way of our mission."

The bomb man was really starting to piss Zora off. When he inserted his finger up his nostril, Zora readied  _Yubashiri_.

" _ZOOORRAAA!"_

Zora grinned when she saw her captain appear behind the Mr. 5 and Miss Valentine pair, "Ah, Luffy. Thanks but I don't need any help."

"How dare you!" Zora was shocked by her captain's actions, "You'll pay for what you did!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Shut up! I'm gonna kick your ass for being so ungrateful!"

"Huh?"

"These people welcomed us and gave us lots of yummy food!" explained Luffy, "How could you do this to them?!"

"I-" the green haired woman was interupted

"I'll make you pay!"

"Listen to me Luffy." Zora felt an oncoming headache, "These people are bounty hunters. They-"

"Don't try to blame them!"

"You-fine! Don't listen to me!" screamed Zora

The betrayal she felt when Luffy tried to punch her shook Zora to the core. How could her captain believe the words of these strangers over her own? Zora knew that Luffy's sense of logic was skewed, but she never thought he would go so far as to physically fight her. Sure they bickered, but there was never more than a few shoves, a lazy kick or a half-assed punch. Dodging Luffy's rubber limbs, Zora tried to keep an eye of the blue haired princess. When the two Baroque Works agents advanced on the girl, Zora decided enough was enough. Turning to face the enraged rubber man, she drew back her foot and punted him at the attacking pair, bowling them through the wall of a neighboring house.

"You idiot." breathed Zora, "Do you  _always_ have to fuck up delicate situations?"

An explosion burst from the approximate location of Luffy and the two agents and out of the smoke flew Miss Valentine, parasol readied and expression furious. Ignoring the princess's warning to dodge the woman, Zora noticed Luffy emerge from the smoke, dragging along an unconscious Mr. 5.

"Now I can fight for real." muttered Luffy, having returned back to his normal size after digesting the immense amount of food he had consumed

Zora sighed, "Luffy, look, just hear me out. This was a nest of bounty hunters. They are our enemies."

"Liar! Enemies wouldn't give us such good food!"

Turning slightly, Zora avoided Miss Valentine's attack, the agent was left stuck in the crater she created, and slipped her bandanna from her bicep. Retying it around her head, she drew her katana and placed  _Wadou_ in her mouth.

"Fine you dumbass. If you're going to try and kill me, I guess all I can do is return the favor. Prepare yourself!"

" _Gomu Gomu no-"_

_"Oni-"_

The rubber man and the female swordsman charged at each other.

_"-Bazooka!"_

_"-Giri!"_

Resisting the push of Luffy's hands against her shoulders, Zora struggled to overpower the rubber man. Flicking her wrist, Zora sent the rubber man airborne with a swift  _Tatsu Maki_. Physical pain was not the only pain she felt when Luffy's  _Gomu Gomu no Pistol_ connected with her cheek. As Luffy slammed into one wall, Zora spiraled into another, cement and plaster crumbling as the two combatants crashed through. Rising from the rubble, Zora burst forward, slashing at the incoming rubber man. Knuckles meeting as his fist connected with her grip, Zora cut downward with  _Kitetsu's_ cursed blade. She managed to deal Luffy a small slice on his cheek, grunting as his fist buried itself in her solar plexus.

"Stop ignoring us!" cried the two Baroque Works officer agents as the regained their senses

Already vexed, Zora, in synchrony with Luffy, drew back her fist and punched the interrupting agents when the two approached them.

"Stop interrupting!" shouted the two pirates in unison

A cloud of dust rose from where the two agents had landed. Turning to Luffy, Zora bared her teeth, challenging the rubber man's belief that she had wrongly cut down the townsfolk.

"ENOUGH YOU TWO!"

Unprepared, Luffy was sent to the ground by Nami's punch while Zora chuckled at the captain's misfortune. As Nami explained to the princess, Vivi if Zora bothered trying to remember, that they were here to help her return to Alabasta, Zora knelt down next to Luffy, smacked him upside the head and explained what had actually happened.

"Shishishi, why didn't you just say so Zora?"

"I tried to."

"Hah?"

After pulling the rubber man aside, Zora crossed her arms across her chest, "Either way, I may be your subordinate, but that does not mean I will allow you to smack me around like some weakling."

"Zora's not weak." Luffy seemed puzzled, "And you're nakama, not a subordinate."

"Idiot. That's not what I meant." Zora sighed, "I meant that I will not tolerate being smacked around just 'cause you're too stupid to listen to reason."

Luffy slung an arm around Zora's shoulders, "If that happens, then Zora will just make me listen."

"I tried to!" snapped Zora, "You were too busy screeching like a seagull to notice!"

" _Wari_."

Retracing their steps back to Nami and Vivi, the two made it back in time to hear Vivi's reasons for infiltrating Baroque Works. Apparently the purpose of the organization was o take over the Alabasta Kingdom.

"Oi, who's the boss?"

'Tactless as always Sencho, tactless as always.'

Vivi's gasp caught Zora's attention, "Y-you want t-to know the boss's identity?"

"You know don't you?"

"Please don't ask me that!" Vivi pleaded, "You'll be endangering your lives!"

Zora burst out laughting, "Sweetheart, we're pirates. You think we don't know what danger is?" she asked when she finished laughing, "For all we know, our captain's middle name could be danger."

"No matter how strong you guys are, I doubt you'll be able to go up against one of the Shichibukai." insisted Vivi, "No just anyone can challenge Crocodile!"

"Who?" asked Luffy

Nami's jaw dropped and Vivi covered her mouth in shock and terror, she had revealed the secret identity of the boss of Baroque Works. Sensing a presence above her, Zora glanced up and saw a rather large vulture and a strange looking otter perched on the roof. As Nami throttled Vivi, demanding to know the importance of the bird and the otter, Zora grinned at Luffy. Nami began walking away, determined not to be associated with the one(s) who knew Crocodile's identity. Unfortunately for her, the otter had been sketching rather accurate portraits of the three pirates.

"Looks like we're on Baroque Works's hit list." stated Zora as the otter flew off atop the vulture, "This should be interesting."

"Interesting? INTERESTING?" Nami glared at the older woman, "Thanks to you morons we're going to die!"

"What the hell is that?"

Behind them stood Igaram, dressed in a rendition of Vivi's outfit. The plan was that the Squad Captain would pose as the princess, allowing Vivi to escape with a head start. Zora was doubtful but hey, there weren't any other great ideas. When Igaram explained that Crocodile was a Shichibukai whose former bounty was over 80 million beri, Zora could practically see Nami deflate when Luffy agreed to escort the princess. Handing Igaram an eternal pose, Vivi explained that an eternal pose was like a log pose, but set only for one permanent destination. The three pirate watched Vivi bid her protector farewell, promising to meet him safely back in Alabasta. The ship had barely cast off before it was enveloped in a massive explosion.

"Nami, the log."

The navigator nodded, "It's stored." she told Zora, "We can leave immediately."

"Good, they're after us already." Zora turned to Vivi, "Come with us, our ship is waiting. Do  _not_ let that man's sacrifice be in vain." she looked to Luffy, "Sencho, if we're gonna show this girl to Alabasta, we need to leave  _now._ Usopp and ero-cook are probably still asleep in the tavern."

Zora raced towards the ship, Nami and Vivi on her heels while Luffy went to retrieve their cook and sniper. Hoisting the anchor, she heard Luffy call up to her, stating that he had found Usopp and Sanji.

She heard Nami sigh, "We don't have time to look for him."

"But I can't just leave him hear!" insisted the princess

"Oi, what's the problem?" Zora was ready to leave

"She say's she can't find her spot-billed duck!" called back Nami

Vivi bit her lip, "He won't come when I whistle."

Zora sighed and pointed at the abnormally large duck with blue chullo, "This him? He was here before me."

"We can get to the sea through a tributary near the entrance to town." explained Vivi

" _Ikuzo_!" ordered Luffy once everyone was on board

"How many people are after us?" Takao had taught Zora to gather as much information as possible before charging in, she preferred Falk's method of acting first and asking afterward

"Baroque Works has about two thousand people-"

She was interrupted by the waking of Usopp and Sanji. Irritated as she was, Zora could understand why the two men were reluctant to leave, not that she cared all that much. Giving Nami a look, the navigator nodded back and proceeded to thump the two on the head.

'Some things never change.' mused Zora as the cook and the snipe lay prone on the deck

"Well done evading your pursuers." congratulated a feminine voice

"That it is." agreed Nami

"Be sure to watch out for rocks underneath the water. It would be a shame if you damaged your hull."

"No problem, I can handle this." Nami paused and turned her head towards Luffy, "Ano, was that you?"

"Nice caravel you've got here." perched on the railing of Merry's upper deck was a blue eyed woman clad in purple

The four conscious people, Ussop and Sanji were still 'resting' on the deck, snapped their gaze towards the woman. She merely grinned when Vivi's expression morphed from surprise to terror. The Alabasta royal's fear turned to rage when the mysterious woman mentioned that she had recently seen Mr. 8. 

"You killed Igaram." snarled Vivi

Luffy pointed at the woman accusingly, "Who the hell are you and why are you on my ship?!"

"Why are you here!" screamed Vivi, "Miss All-Sunday?!"

Nami turned to the girl, "Miss All-Sunday? Whose partner is she?"

"Mr. 0's." admitted Vivi, "Crocodile's partner and the only one allowed to know his true identity." she grit her teeth, "We followed her and were able to learn that the boss was Crocodile."

"Correction-I  _let_ you shadow me." taunted the woman, "Of course after you 'found out' the boss's identity it was my duty to inform him of your most undesirable intentions." she smirked, "A princess infiltrating a criminal organization in order to save her country? What an amusing idea."

"Enough!"

On the woman's left, Sanji raised a flintlock at her temple while on her right Ussop took aim and Nami readied her staff. Zora rested her hand on  _Wadou_ _,_ relaxed, but still ready to strike if need be. The woman sighed and, seemingly without moving managed to send Sanji and Ussop toppling over the railing onto the lower deck while at the same time disarming both Nami and Zora.

"Foolish." hummed the woman, "Though, luckily for you, I am under no orders at the moment. Unluckily for you, your log pose is sending you straight towards Little Garden. It matter little if we get involved. It is impossible for you to make it all the way to Alabasta." she tossed a log pose to Vivi, "Personally, I recommend this route, none of our employees know of it."

"Screw it." Luffy snatched the log pose from Vivi and hurled it overboard, "We don't need help from bad guys!"

"You moron!" Nami bean throttling Luffy, "She gave us a way to get past the next island which will apparently kill us all!"

"Well, if you somehow manage to survive and make it to Alabasta, perhaps we will meet there."

The woman walked to the edge of the ship before gracefully leaping over the railing and onto her own transportation. Not the she could judge given some of the modes of transportation she had endured *cough*Luffy*cough*, Zora still found the idea of a giant turtle bearing a chair with an umbrella rather odd. Ignoring the rest of the crew, Zora settled down for a nap. Luffy's cackling, Ussop's demands that someone explain the situation and Sanji's gushing all tuned out as she let the sound of the sea lull her to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Usoppu Sokusha: Usopp Rapid Fire  
> Kenshi Fubuki: Swordsman Snowstorm
> 
> Monkey D. Luffy does not stand for Monkey Danger Luffy, Oda has yet to reveal what the D. stands for, if it has any significance at all.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sooooo sorry about the ridiculously late update. School took over and then there was friend and family issues along with writers block and at least three different colds. Anyway, I finally managed to update the last chapter and hopefully you guys can enjoy the beginning of this one. Please comment, I love reading your (the reader's) opinions!
> 
> Also, this chapter was a farewell to Falk and Takao (for now), so if you have an OC you would like to have featured in flashbacks feel free to tell me. Just leave their name, possible age (I don't need numbers, just if they're a child, teen, adult or senior) and any personality traits you'd like incorporated.

_"Matcha-chan!" Falk ran to where Zora was leaning against the wall of the local tavern, "Sorry to keep you waiting. Baka-Taka saw something when we were checking out the inn."_

_"Calm down you fool, are you trying to give someone a heart attack?" Takao reached into his pocket and withdrew a dark green bandanna, so dark it was almost black, "It's November 11th. Happy birthday Zora." he handed her the soft, cotton fabric, "It's been seven years since we met you."_

_"Aye, seven years of wonderful memories." sighed Falk_

_"Sap."_

_"He has a point." stated Takao, "Today you're eighteen, official an adult. In all honesty, I thought that cross dressing thing you started when you turned fourteen was just a phase." He ruffled her spiky, cropped hair, "Guess not eh?"_

_"Urusai." Zora grinned as she slapped his hand away lightheartedly, "You know just as well as I do that there's no such thing as a swordswoman. To be the best swordsman in the world, I have to be a man."_

_"Anyway," Takao's mirth faded, "Falk and I were thinking, perhaps it's time for you to continue on your journey as a swordsman."_

_"What's that supposed to mean?"_

_The taller of the two men closed his eyes and sighed tiredly, "When we leave this town, we should part ways and continue on our own paths."_

_"What." Zora barely registered what the man had said, "You're leaving me?"_

_"No, not at all!"  cut in Falk, "What Baka-Taka is trying,_ and failing _, to say is, we're thinking of trying our hand at hunting in the Grand Line."_

_"And?"_

_"It's much too dangerous for you at this time." summed up Takao, "When you're ready you're welcome to follow us." he stood, "But for now, hone your skills here in the East Blue."_

_"Don't be sad." tried Falk, "We can always meet up in the Grand Line!"_

_"Who's sad you asshole?" Zora furiously blinked away the tears gathering in her eyes, "One day I'll become sail to the Grand Line and become the greatest!"_

_"That's the spirit Zora!" Takao draped his arm across her shoulders, "Now, whatsay we go have a drink. To old friends and new beginnings!"_

* * *

Zora was rudely awakened from her midday nap by a large foot planting itself in her abdomen. Apparently Luffy and the other two men (boys really) on board had decided to try and substitute Carue as live fish bait.

"Shut up you morons!" she snapped before adjusting her position and resuming her nap.

"Neh, do you think it'll snow again?"

"Hah," Zora barked out a laugh, "as if it would snow in this kinda weather."

"It did before, you were sleeping."

Vivi decided to explain that, while snow was possible, the erratic weather patterns the crew had experienced was unique to the first part of the Grand Line. The magnetic fields surrounding Reverse Mountain dictated the area around the mountain.

"However, we must still be alert even though we've bypassed the crazy weather patterns." summed up the princess

"Oi, how about some of my Special Drink?" called Sanji as he ascended from the kitchen

Carue came running while Luffy and Zora both vaulted over the railing of the upper deck. Despite his attitude, Zora had to admit that Sanji was definitely the most capable of those on board when it came to culinary expertise.

"Chug it Carue!" cheered Luffy as the duck slurped down drink after drink

Zora turned to Usopp, "How is it drinking through a straw?"

Ussop shrugged, "This is hilarious, don't fix what's not broken."

"Hmm, looks like he done." commended Sanji as the duck keeled over after multiple drinks

"Dolphin!" cried Luffy when he saw the slim nose and streamline body of the marine mammal

Ussop gaped when the dolphin swam closer, "It's  _huge_!"

"I wanna ride it!"

Zora snagged the back of Luffy's vest, "No way in hell." she scowled at the pouting rubberman, "You can'e swim you idiot." she then saw the dolphin breach, "Oh come on!"

"Places!" yelled Sanji as he and he other ran for their stations

"Let's catch the wave and get outta here!" Luffy looked far too cheerful when the dolphin could easily capsize them

After another few hours of sailing, and in Zora's case napping, the crew landed on the next island. According to the log pose, this was Little Garden. As Merry drifted along one of the inlets, Zora idly noted that this so-called garden seemed rather tropical in terms of vegetation.

"So this is Little Garden."

"Little my ass." snorted Zora

Luffy glanced down, "Ano, Zoro's a-"

Zora drove her fist into the back of Luffy's head, "Yeah, keep talking. See what happens."

"It definitely isn't as cute as the name suggests." admitted Nami

"What worries me is what Miss All-Sunday said." Vivi frowned, "She said that the route our log pose is taking us on is very dangerous."

"D-dangerous?" stammered Usopp, "You know, my chronic case of let's-avoid-dangerous-islands-itis is starting to act up. Why don't we just skip this island and head to the next one?"

"We have to wait for the log to set." Nami, blunt as ever, "Besides, we didn't get to stock up on provisions on the last island."

"River." Zora pointed up ahead

"I want  _yakiniku_ , I hope there's a restaurant here." stated Luffy after Merry had been directed own the river channel

"Why would there be a  _yakiniku_ restaurant in the middle of a jungle on a remote island?" muttered Nami

Somehow Luffy heard her, "But you said we needed provisions."

"She meant gathering ingredients." explained Zora

There was a screech from nearby, startling Usopp and frightening Nami. Sanji, even the womanizer, grinned a rather perverted grin as far as Zora was concerned. As the blonde swooned, Zora saw a rather large bird with outstretched talons approaching the ship.

"It's just a jungle," chuckled Sanji, "Nothing to worry about." Nami and Usopp clearly though differently as the scrambled away from the cook, and the incoming avian behind him, "What's wrong?"

Leaping from her place on the deck, Zora hurled herself at the bird, using Sanji's head as a convenient launchpad. Kicking the bird in the face, she tucked into a neat backflip and landed in a crouch back on the deck.

" _Kuso-kenshi_ _!_ " growled Sanji

Zora snorted, " _Ero-cook_ , you almost got eaten."

"I wonder what that would have tasted like." mused Luffy, he poked Zora's bicep, "Zooorraa, I want  _yakitori_."

Zora sighed, this was going to be a long wait as the log pose took time to set. She ignored Usopp and Nami when they screamed after witnessing some kind of creature, Zora cared too little to bother checking to see what, die along the bank of the river.

"It's decided." stated Nami, "We are not stepping foot on this island and will wait patiently _on the ship_  for the log to set."

"Whatever." grumbled Zora as she made her way over to the anchor, "Someone needs to go get food and whatnot so at least one of us has to leave the ship." she tossed the anchor overboard

" _Bento_." stated Luffy, holding an expectant hand out at Sanji, "I want my  _bento_ so I can charge up for adventure!"

"And where do you think you're going?" demanded Nami

"I smell an adventure."

"Mind if I come with you?" asked Vivi

"Sure, let's go!"

"Am I the only sane one on this ship?" lamented Nami

"Do you really expect that much from us?" Zora set a hand on Nami's shoulder, "Let Sencho have his fun. Adventure waits for no man or woman so it is our job to go if the opportunity presents itself." she walked over to the edge of the ship, "Well, I've got some time to kill so I may as well take a walk."

"Oi, Zoro." Sanji approached her, "we're outta food. If you find something edible bring it back."

"Sure, whatever." Zora sent Sanji a provoking smirk, "I'll bring back something you could never handle."

"Hold it! Are you saying you're gonna try to find something bigger than what I could?"

Zora rolled her eyes, "Apparently you're both blind and deaf."

"A contest then." challenged Sanji, "He who brings back more kilos of meat wins."

"I believe you mean tons." sneered Zora as she headed off in one direction

"Save it for the judging." growled Sanji as he walked off in the other direction.

'So easy to antagonize.' though Zora as she made her way through the jungle

* * *

Swatting aside another bird that tried to dive bomb her, Zora stomped past yet another boulder that had three spikes sticking out of it. Frustrated, she kicked the boulder, jumping back and resting her hand on  _Wadou_ when the large mass began to move.

'What the hell?' though Zora as the boulder shifted and opened what appeared to be a set of eyes, 'Hmm, I wonder if this is edible?'

Falling into her battle stance, Zora readied all three katana. Who was she to insult a fellow  _Santoryu_ user by only unsheathing one sword? The beast charged and, darting forward, Zora executed a well placed  _Oni Giri_ to the dinosaur's chest. She stood and sheathed her swords.

'How the hell am I supposed to get this back to the ship?'

Shrugging, Zora strode over to the corpse, hefted its tail over her shoulder and began hauling her catch in what she hoped was the direction back to the ship. As if Sanji could manage taking down a beast as big as the one she'd just caught. Humming to herself, she dragged the carcass behind her. Upon reaching the main path, she ran into Sanji who was also hauling behind him the body of a dinosaur.

"I win." stated the two in unison

They lined the two dinosaurs up, "Mine's longer." claimed Sanji, "Thus, I win."

"Moron," snapped Zora, "The contest was to see who brought back more tons of meat. Clearly I win."

"Hah, you just brought back a pile of bones and horns. Clearly mine has more usable meat so I win."

"Well it's not like you can eat marrow." Zora's sarcastic retort seemed to infuriate Sanji

"Rematch." stated Sanji, he pointed at a volcano in the distance as it went through a meek eruption, "Time starts now and stops when that volcano erupts again." he glared at Zora, "Finish line is the Going Merry."

"Fine by me." Zora smirked, "Prepare to lose."

* * *

Quite some time passed and in the distance she could hear clashes of metal. But despite her urge to find the battle and join in the fray, Zora focused on a more pressing issue; finding compiling a giant cache of meat and completely destroying Sanji in their competition. Unfortunately for her, the volcano erupted again, signaling the end to their contest. As long as she snagged something on the way back to the ship, Zora was positive she would be able to win against the cook. In her haste, she managed to trod upon what seemed to be a miniature of the dinosaur she had defeated earlier.

"Gah,  _wari_." the tiny dinosaur clamped its beak around her ankle, "Oi, I said I was sorry! Let go!"

Vigorously shaking her leg in attempts to remove the clinging triceratops, Zora failed to notice a larger version of the dinosaur approach from behind. Feeling tremors of the ground from the behemoth's steps as it charged, Zora flung herself out of the way and ran. Grasping the baby triceratops by the frill, she ripped it away from her ankle and hurled it back towards the charging adult. Her job was to find some food and return to the ship, not orphan a baby because its mother was charging her.

'Well, I can always chop down some fruit trees.' mused Zora as she fled, leaving mother and child dinosaur to reunite

Luck seemed to be on her side however, and soon another adult, this one without any noticeable offspring, approached her. Unsheathing  _Wadou, Yubashiri_ and  _Kitestu_ , Zora swiftly dispatched the giant with a well placed  _Oni Giri_. Sheathing the trio of blades and grasping thee triceratops by the horns, she began to drag it with her. No necessarily in the direction of the ship, but somewhere. After circling the same ivy covered tree for the umpteenth time, Zora spotted a familiar head of orange hair.

"Ah, Nami." she hauled her load over towards the other woman, "Somehow I managed to misplace the ship." she took a closer look, something was wrong, "Um, Nami?

Hearing rustling leaves behind her, Zora made to look back. She caught a glimpse of a white blur before something stuck her temple and she collapsed. Shaking her head to regain her bearings, Zora went to touch her temple, only to find her arms locked behind her back by some sort of solid white substance. Her ankles were also locked together by the same white substance.

"Well, well, looks like we caught a green rat in our trap." mused a man Zora vaguely recognized as Mr. 5

"Fuck you." growled Zora

"Now, now, I need to return the favor for you rude behavior at Whiskey Peak." the man's partner, Miss Valentine if Zora remember correctly, stepped forward

"Pardon me for forgetting my manners." sneered Zora, "Maybe this will help!"

Twisting her body, Zora struck the man in the cheek with the white mass trapping her legs. It was a mistake to hit the man instead of the woman decided Zora as the resulting explosion sent her flying into a tree.

'This blows.' she though as she was dragged away by the two Baroque Works agents.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not quite done with my current bout of bronchitis but here's the rest of the chapter. School starts up again soon but our pirate adventure will continue, albeit slower than expected though. Seriously though, I have a little less than a week till school starts (Jan 17), so I need you to submit your opinions or OCs asap. Another option is to continue with line breaks but no flashbacks.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just gonna post this without any flashbacks, but once people lemme know what they want in terms of OC flashbacks, I can add stuff in. Thanks for reading.

Being captured was one thing, being dragged behind your captors along the ground of some prehistoric jungle was quite another. Zora overheard the two agents mentioning a 'Mr. 3' and a 'Miss Goldenweek' and how the two were probably sipping tea while hey worked their asses off finding the rest of the Mugiwara crew.

"Here they are."

Zora was gracelessly thrown in front of a massive wax sculpture shaped somewhat like a candelabra with a jack o'lantern head attached to it. Nami crashed to the ground along side her, wincing as her chin hit the ground. Before them stood a man with an odd 3-shaped hairstyle, Vivi was kneeling on the ground in front of them and off to the side was a young girl sipping tea and eating some crackers.

"To think I was defeated by such weaklings." sneered Mr. 5 as he set his foot on Zora's head, "Here they are Mr. 3."

Ignoring the agents as Mr. 5 and the man, Mr. 3, bickered, Zora debated how to escape. She frowned as she, Nami and Vivi were taken to the wax sculpture and placed on one of the lower levels. With her feet encased in wax, Zora tested its strength, frowning when she found her mobility halted; at least they had been stupid enough to free her hands and careless enough to leave her with her trio of blades. Mr. 3's (attempted) evil laugh managed to annoy Zora enough to break her out of her thoughts of escape.

"Welcome," cackled the man, "to my  _Tokudai Kyandoru Sābisu Setto!_ "

Unsheathing _Kitetsu_ , Zora tested the wax. It was to hard to cut and her current position did not enable her to exert any sort of strength into a strike. The wax-man proceeded to explain, more like boast as far as Zora was concerned, about how his candle set would rain wax down upon his captives, eventually turning them into wax figures.

"It's a shame (not really), that you have to die for the sake of creating the perfect human statue."

"Like hell I'll die for art!" screamed Nami before turning to yell as a fallen giant lying next to them

Zora couldn't have cared less as to who the giant was or where he came from, but if Nami thought he could free them, why bother complaining. Apparently the wax-man felt the need to mock the fallen giant about his friend, Zora assumed that would be the other mass lying in the clearing. Zora's brow furrowed, defeating an enemy was victory, but not every victory was a time for celebration. She knew what it was like to fight a friend or a comrade. Disparaging the strength require for such a task was not something she took lightly.

The giant began breaking free of the wax, rage fueling his power. A series of projectile bombs, courtesy of Mr. 5, halted the giant's progress, allowing Mr. 3 to fully restrain the giant once more. Zora frowned, not only was their potential help now lost, the wax flaking off from above was increasing. Finding herself breathing in wax along with air, Zora decided enough was enough.

"Anyone else sick of these guys?" she unsheathed  _Yubashiri_ and  _Kitestsu_ , "'Cause I'm finished here."

"Wait-you're not-" Nami tried to complete her sentence

"You can bet your savings I will."

"By amputating your own legs?!" shrieked the girl, "Are you kidding me?!"

"No joke. It's the only way out of here." she arched a brow, "Unless you have a better idea  _Majo_."

"We'll just be capture again!" argued Vivi

Zora's smile was ominous enough to make the princess flinch, "You never know until you try. If we're gonna die, may as well struggle and make it ugly?" she glanced at the Baroque Works agents, "I refuse to die without a struggle, especially if the cause are these weaklings."

"You're bluffing." her captors clearly didn't know her that well, "There's no way you could bring yourself to do something like that!"

"How would you fight without your legs?" wondered Nami

"Saa, who knows." Zora's grin grew wider and more sinister, "I plan on winning either way."

"Well said young man!" called the giant, tensing underneath his wax bonds, "Here we go!"

Just as her blades sliced into the flesh just above her ankles, Zora heard a familiar scream. Out of the vegetation charged Luffy, Usopp and the duck, Carue if she bothered trying to remember. They missed, by a lot, and flew across the clearing, crashing into the tress beyond.

" _I"M GONNA KICK YOUR ASSES!_ " promised Luffy as he sailed by

Zora frowned as the three stumbled back towards them, "You're late." she accused

"Luffy, kick their asses!" cried Nami, she paused, "-But first destroy this wax thing! We're gonna be turned into wax figures!"

"Hah? You're in trouble?"

Zora shook her head, "Not really..."

"Zoro, your legs!"

Leave it to Nami to notice that minor detail, "Ah, I only got about halfway." Zora ignored the agony in her legs as well as the blood oozing from her wounds and trickling down the edge of the wax, "No big deal."

"Zora..."

She ignored Luffy's pronoun slip, "Sencho, mind destroying this pillar before destroying those idiots?" Zora nodded towards the Barouque Works agents, "I'll leave the rest to you."

"Fine."

"Don't fighting already, kid?"

"I think I'll leave this to Luffy." replied Zora, glancing over at the giant, "I've already made my point."

"Zoro, please do something about your legs." Nami made a face, "It hurts just looking at them."

"Then don't look." 

'Honestly,' thought Zora, crossing her arms, 'it's not even that bad...'

Turning her attention back to Luffy, she watched as the Baroque agents bickered over who would fight the Mugiwara captain. She resisted the urge to facepalm when Luffy fell for the wax-man's  _Kyandoru Rokku_ _,_ there was now a bar of wax restraining the rubberman's legs.

Springing up, Luffy narrowly avoided the next shot, this one aiming to seal his hands. Luffy then stretched his arm, locking onto the horn of the fallen giant's helmet. He then wrapped his arm around the horn, spinning rapidly.

" _Gomu Gomu no Tonkachi!_ "

Slamming the wax around his legs into the sculpture holding Zora and the other two captive, Luffy snapped the main pillar, causing the rotating head to fall...right towards Zora and the others.

"Are you trying to kill us?!" cried Zora as the other two girls screamed

Fortunately, the pumpkin shape landed on the level above the three captives. Unfortunately, it was still rotating, raining wax flakes down onto the three. Zora sighed, their situation hadn't changed in the least.

"Ano, why did you guys run?" Luffy, clueless as ever

"CAN'T YOU SEE WE CAN'T MOVE?!" screamed Nami and Vivi as Zora glared at the rubberman

"Souka. But you guy's told me to break the pillar."

Vivi turned to Zora, "Mr. Bushido, are you sure we can trust this person with our lives?"

"No choice really." she shrugged, or at least tried to, "At this point I can't even move my arms."

It took Mr. 3's bragging to get Luffy to realize that his friends were in danger of becoming wax statues. Zora tried to watch the fight, but frozen as she was, she was unable to turn her head and the combatants had moved out of her line of sight. She heard Mr. 3 shout something about a harpoon and Ussop's shout of his  _Kayaku Boshi_. 

" _Gomu Gomu no..._ "

" _Kyanddoru Wōru_ _!_ "

"... _Bazooka!_ "

Zora figured that Luffy had finally figured out that the pumpkin part of the sculpture was responsible for the wax and had tried to knock it away, only to be stopped by what was probably a wax wall.

" _Gomu Gomu no Tonkachi!_ " Luffy probably had gotten waxed again, but had utilized the wax as a hammer

" _Kyandoru Wōru_ _!_ "

Mr. 3 tumbled past, propelled by Luffy's punch once the wax had broken.

"Oi, Luffy, mind getting us out of here?" called Zora

"Yada." She froze, "Why should I? I don't wanna save you guys."

There was a crunch as the little girl paired with Mr. 3 bit into her _senbei_ , " _Karāzu Torappu..."_

"Goddammit Luffy, now is not the time to joke around!" shrieked Nami, "We are turning into wax statues. We are going to  _die!"_

"Bu I don't feel like it."

"Forget about what you feel like doing!" snapped Zora, "Get us out of here!"

"Miss Goldenweek." whispered Vivi to herself

"Hmm?" Nami looked confused

Vivi glared at the little girl snacking on a cracker, "Are you responsible for this?"

" _Karāzu Torappu: Uragiri no Kuro_." she munched on her _senbei_ , "Once you touch the black paint, you will betray those around you, no matter how precious your  _nakama_."

"Hah?" Nami's eyes shifted to Vivi, "What does she mean."

"As a 'realist painter', she can make the emotion caused by a color real. Basically she can use colored paint to hypnotize a person and influence the actions."

"'Influence'?" Zora's eyes widened, "This is bad. Luffy is even more susceptible to influence that normal people. Remember that hypnosis guy from Ussop's village?" she asked Nami

"Luffy, move away-"

"No." interrupted Vivi, "Luffy, whatever you do, do  _not_ leave that black paint circle!"

"Yada." Luffy stepped back, outside the edges of the circle of paint

"Get us outta here!" screamed Nami, Zora was beginning to wonder how Nami was hoarse from screaming

Luffy began winding up his arm, "No- _Hahahahaha!"_ he bean laughing hysterically, "On second though, I think I'd rather laugh!"

" _Karāzu Torappu: Warai no Kiiro_."

"Luffy, take off your shirt!" shouted Zora

"Zo-hahaha-ra, since when-hahahaha-were you-haha-so forward!" cackled Luffy

"Moron." muttered Zora before Ussop and Carue dashed in front of them, pursued by the Mr. 5 pair, "Are you idiots here to play around?!"

"At least they smeared the paint on his back." stated Nami when the two cowards trampled Luffy in the haste to run from the two agents

"Oi, knock it off you jerk!" Luffy turned on Miss Goldenweek

She merely stood there with her paint brush and pallet, "Was my  _Warai no Kiiro_ funny?"

"Shut up  _gaki_!" He extended his arms behind him, "Time to break that pumpkin.  _Gomu Gomu no_ -"

" _Karāzu Torappu: Togyu no Aka_."

" _-Bazooka!"_  

Instead of smashing the wax pumpkin shower wax dust onto his  _nakama_ , Luffy's attack rammed into the red pattern painted on the ground.

Zora's eye twitched, "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU AIMING?!"

Miss Goldenweek explained that as long as her  _Karāzu Torappu_ remained on the ground, Luffy would target it like a bull after a red piece of cloth. Being the fool he was, Luffy tried again, only to hit the mark on the ground. Zora and the other three captives lamented Luffy's lack of mental resistance. Next, the little girl used her  _Karāzu Torappu: Tomodachi to Kimidori_ and painted her symbol on Luffy's back. Zora's jaw dropped as the rubberman joined Miss Goldenweek for a bit of tea and _senbei_ on the picnic cloth situated a few feet away.

" _BAKA!"_ chorused the three captives in unison

'Looks like time is up.' though Zora as the wax encased her completely, 'Luffy, you fail m-us.'

* * *

 'Why is it so hot?' though Zora as the temperature around her rose dramatically

To her astonishment, the wax around her was melting, puddling at her feet. Beside her, Nami and Vivi were stirring as well. Nodding, the three former captives escaped the melting wax trap, Nami and Vivi charging towards Miss. Valentine. Tying her bandanna around her head, Zora unsheathed her blades, _Yubashiri_ and  _Kitetsu_ in her hands and  _Wadou_ held tightly between her teeth. Seeing Usopp restrain by Mr. 5, she leapt out of the blazing inferno.

" _Yaki Oni Giri!"_

Engulfed in flames, she struck Mr. 5, slashing him with her blades. Extinguishing the blaze dancing across her blades, she sheathed them, watching as Mr. 5 was felled by her attack. She stool, grinning as the giant who had been lying next to them rose.

"Looks like we made it in time." she said, making her way over to a nearby boulder to sit

"Indeed." the giant cast a mournful but respectful glance at his fallen comrade, "There's still two more."

In the distance, two screams emerged from the forest, apparently Luffy and Carue had found the other two. When they returned, the giant burst into a shower of tear. Though shower may not have been the right word, mused Zora, perhaps waterfall was more accurate. The giant, Usopp had introduced him as Broggy, showered the pirates in tears, grieving his fallen friend. Zora noticed a slight movement out of the corner of her eye, the fallen giant's hand had moved.

"Oi, check it."

The other giant struggle to sit up, piercing the ground with his sword and using the weapon as an aid. When he noticed his friend rise, the other giant's crying ceased, eyes going from overflowing to dry in a matter of milliseconds.

"Dory...how?"

"I guess I was unconscious."

'You guess?' thought Zora, practically sweatdropping

After over a century of fighting, apparently the giants' weapons had been dulled to the point of non-lethal. Honestly, Zora couldn't believe how careless some people were with their weapons. Her mentors had cared for the weapons like they were their children, sharpening and polishing them almost religiously. Shaking her head, Zora couldn't help but smile as the first giant held his friend, thankful he was alive and probably irritating his wound.

"It's a miracle!"

Zora shook her head at Ussop's antics, "No miracle here, just a lack of proper weapon upkeep."

Leading the Mugiwara crew, sans Sanji, to their 'campsite', if it could even be called that, the giants sat and listened as Vivi (attempted) to apologize for leading the Baroque Works agents to Little Garden.

"Oi, gimme one of those." Zora swiped a  _senbei_ from Usopp, "Where'd you get these anyway?" she asked, crunching the rice cracker between her teeth

"Carue found them."

Usopp's answer was not what Zora was expecting, but hey, food was food.

"Sure." Zora munched on the  _senbei_ , smacking away Luffy's thieving fingers when he tried to grab the cracker, "You ok?" she asked when she saw Nami scratch at something

"It's nothing. Just a bug bit."

Zora nodded, "I can't believe we have to wait a year for the log pose to set."

" _Nami-swaaaaan! Vivi-chwaaaaan!_ _Zo-_ the fuck? And the rest of you morons." called Sanji, "Oh good, everylne's safe!"

'No thanks to you.' though Zora

As Sanji explained how he had spoken to Mr. 0 through Mr. 3's Den Den Mushi, Zora checked her katana, looking to see if  _Yaki Oni Giri_ had had any negative affects on the blades. She tuned back into the conversation when Sanji mentioned he had been mistaken for Mr. 3 and that he had told the boss that the Mugiwaras and Vivi were taken care of. Zora nodded to herself, as irritating as he was, the cook wasn't a complete idiot...usually. Reaching into his pocket, Sanji revealed that he had found an Eternal Pose to Alabasta.

"YAY!"

"Thank you Sanji!"

"We can set sail!"

"Let's go Sencho."

Sanji sidled up to Zora, "Don't think I've forgotten about our Hunting Contest."

"Forget it." huffed Zora, "I got a giant lizard, so I clearly won."

"Yeah, well let's see it when we get back to Merry."

* * *

"Mine's bigger!"

"Mine's fatter!

"Mine's longer!"

"Mine has more meat!"

"Does it matter?" Luffy interrupted the two, "Meat's meat."

" _SHUT UP!"_ shouted the two

Nami sighed, "It's not like it'll all fight on the ship anyway. Cut off when we need and let's go."

"Can't you just call is a draw?" asked Vivi

"There's no such thing as a draw in a match like this." claimed Zora

"GET YOUR ASSES UP HERE!"

"Yes ma'am/Yes Nami-swaan!"

Hastily slicing off the best cuts, Zora and Sanji loaded the ship and the Mugiwaras prepared to set sail. Hoisting the anchor, Zora smiled as they began their departure from Little Garden. Standing at the mouth of the river where it opened up into the sea were the two giants, Luffy exclaiming his delight when he saw that they were there to see them off.

"So you've arrive, Island Eater." Zora heard one of giants mutter

Up ahead, an enormous goldfish broke through the surface of the water. Ussop voiced the crew's common question.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT THING?!"

"Turn the helm!" ordered Nami

"No, we're going straight."

"Are you trying to kill us?" demanded Vivi when she heard Luffy's order

Nami's eyes widened, "Are you insane? This thing isn't Laboon!"

The fish opened its gaping maw, ready to swallow Merry whole. Zora opened the cabin door, allowing Carue to scramble inside, claws scrabbling for purchase in his panic. As the fish closed its mouth, Zora felt the rush of power emanating from the two giants' strikes.

" _HAKOKU!"_ was the yell she heard from the island shore

The strikes pierced the fish, allowing Merry to sail though the gaping whole in its head. Zora refused to look back, LIttle Garden had testeed the strength and almost destroyed them. But with a little luck, and apparently a duck (Ussop had retold the story of Carue's bravery), they had made it through.

'I wonder what's next.' mused Zora, 'I doubt Alabast is our next stop. Not with Sencho's 'luck'."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> senbei - rice cracker


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey, thanks for reading. Once again, I'm really sorry for the long hiatus so here's a long one. This chapter is basically the entirety of Drum Island. For now we aren't gonna have any flashbacks, just line breaks, but I can edit and insert flashbacks if that what you readers want. Just lemme know you opinons in the comments section! Thank you!

"Break through!"

Sailing airborne, Merry flew through the air, out the sea and away from Little Garden. Zora ignored Usopp as he made claims to one day visit the village of the giants, the warrior village of Elbaf. As Luffy and Usopp danced around the deck, Sanji exited the kitchen, holding a tray displaying an assortment of small pastries.  _Petit fours_ if Zora overheard correctly. If you were going to bother making something, why make such a small portion? Food was fuel, what was the purpose of such small snacks other than to leave one dissatisfied and still hungry? Seeing Luffy, Usopp and Carue run for the kitchen, Zora shrugged to herself and followed them.

"Oi, leave me some." she snatched a small  _glacé_ pastry, "Bleh," she frowned, "chocolate."

"Zooorraaa," whined Luffy

" _Quaaw?"_

Zora shoved the pastry into Carue's beak, "Luffy, how many times to I have to tell you? You're lucky Usopp already knows." she glared at the duck, "And you can't tell anyone, can you?" the duck was practically seating, but he shook his head

"What happened to Zora's ankles?"

Leave it to Luffy to state the awkward, "Nothing." she turned and left the kitchen

'If only I had been stronger, I could have cut through that wax.' Zora grit her teeth, 'I need to become stronger. I can't hold Luffy back again.'

Clenching her fist, Zora went below deck to find her weights. Vivi's call for help startled her out of her trance. Rushing up to the deck, she found Vivi crouched over Nami, the latter lying on the deck, sweating profusely. The princess quickly explained that Nami had a fever, ignoring Sanji as the cook panicked. She explained that Nami's fever was most likely caused by the climate, those unused to the Grand Line were susceptible to many of the sea's unusual dangers. Unfortunately, the Mugiwara crew had yet to find anyone with extensive medical knowledge, Nami's limited knowledge was what they had had at hand for their voyage. Thankfully, none of the crew had ever been sick since the start of their journey. Shaking her head, she remained on deck while the rest headed for the women's quarters, continuing her weight training. However, she situated herself right outside the door. She figured, the fewer people crowding the better.

"NAMI'S GONNA DIE?!"

Apparently Nami's fever had worsened and, once Vivi had explained how serious a fever could be, Luffy had begun shouting. Undoubtedly, Ussop and Sanji were panicking as well. As worried as she was, Zora failed to see how panicking would help the situation. Best wait up on deck and give Vivi space to nurse her ill friend. A few minutes later, Namis staggered up to thee deck, holding the Eternal Pose to Alabasta.

"What the hell have you been doing?"

Zora arched a brow, "What do you mean? The ship's been sailing straight ahead."

"Straight in the wrong direction." retorted the navigator, "Look at the Log Pose once in a while would you?"

"No need." Zora continued lifting, "We'eve been following that cloud over there for some time."

"Clouds  _move_ you idiot!"

"Just go rest and leave this to me."

"You're the reason why I came up here!" snapped Nami, "Apparently you can get lost in a straight line!" she froze, "The air's changed, get everyone up here."

"Oi, everyone, get your asses up on deck!" called Zora

Nami whispered her directions to Zora who repeated them to the rest off the crew. The navigator explained that a large gust of wind was coming towards them. The others began to argue with Nami on how she was pushing herself far too hard, given her health, but the orange haired girl snapped at them to man their places and move the ship. Usopp and Carue manned the rudder while Sanji and Zora took care of the sails. The ship turned and Zora leaned back against the railing.

"I know this is a lot to ask for," began Vivi when she emerge from the cabin, "but my country is in dire need. I can't afford any delay. Please, can you get this ship to travel to Alabasta at maximum speed?"

"Of course, we promised that didn't we?"

Vivi nodded at Nami's words, "The please, let's find the closest island with a doctor." she smiled, "We need to cure Nami-san quickly and then head on to Alabasta."

Zora grinned, "Well said  _hime_."

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?!"

Looking in the direction Luffy was pointing, Zora saw an immense cyclone with swirling winds tossing the sea into chaos. If Nami hadn't redirected their course, they would have sailed right into it. Even exceptionally ill, their navigator was still above capable.

"Yosh! Let's go!" cried Luffy, "Time to find a doctor!"

"Aye!" chorused the crew

* * *

 Soon after they avoided the cyclone, snow began to fall from the sky, melting into the seas as it landed. Up in the crows-nest, Zora, pearing through a set of binoculars, spied something peculiar. It appeared to be a quiver of arrows.

"Do you think people can walk on water?"

"Are you asking if people can stand on the ocean?" Usopp wrapped his cloak around himself tighter, "What are you talking about Zoro?"

"Then what's that?"

In the distance was man, probably, with a quiver of arrows and a bow slung across his back. What had caught her attention was the fact the man was standing in front of them. Literally standing on the water. She saw Usopp and Luffy wipe their eyes in confusion and take a second look.

"Neh, it's cold outside isn't it?"

Luffy nodded, "Yep, definitely cold."

"Very cold, very cold indeed."

"You think so too?"

Luffy, Zora and Ussop all froze when the man spoke. Then, in front of them, surfaced a giant 'ship' of some sort. Made of metal, Zora wondered how it could float. The metal sheets protecting, Zora wasn't sure, it's sides retracted, and a hippo figurehead rose to the prow. When it's flag unfurled, it was quickly identified as a pirate ship.

'How is this my life?' Zora asked herself

"Maaahahaha! Behold my ship! The Bliking!"

Zora ignored Sanji when the cook rushed out of the cabin in favor of observing the hippo-like captain of the other ship. Even Luffy's table manners were better than this guy's, though only marginally. As much as she loved a good blade, Zora couldn't fathom why someone would want to eat off a blade used for fighting, chances are there was residue from some fight on it. Surrounded by men with muskets pointed at her, Zora figured she would wait for Luffy's orders before attacking the foolish men.

"Are you pieces of trash really pirates?" asked the other captain, biting of part of the knife he was eating from, "I see four people, that's hardly enough for a crew."

'You should have see use before we got our ship.' thought Zora

"May as well ask though." the man continued grinding the metal of the blade between his teeth, "We're heading for Drum Kingdom. Might you have an Eternal Pose or a Log Pose on you?"

"Can't say we do." Sanji causally lit a cigarette, "Never heard of a 'Drum Island' either."

Luffy nodded, "Yeah, and we're in a hurry. So get outta here."

"No need to rush," lecture the man, "Though I suppose we can leave with just your treasure and your ship. But before that, I'm feeling a bit hungry."

To Zora's surprise and Luffy and Usopp's horror, the man leaned over and took a rather large bite out of Merry's railing.

"What the hell is he?!" Usopp voiced the general question

When the man's soldiers attempted to prevent Luffy from interrupting their commander's meal, Luffy knocked out two of them with a fist to the head. When the other soldiers began to fire, Zora fought back a grin, Luffy should had done that sooner. Throwing off her cloak, she unsheathed  _Yubashiri_ ad  _Kitetsu_ , knocking her opponents out of the crows-nest with a well placed  _Taka Nami_. Dashing down the mast, she reversed her blades, taking out the rest of her foes with the dull side of her katana.

"Hmm, all talk."

"Stop eating our ship!" Luffy stormed over to the hippo-man, keen on halting his snacking

The remaining soldiers sneered, "There's no way you ca stand up to Wapol-sama! Prepare to be eaten by the Baku Baku Fruit!"

Stretching his arms back, Luffy ran at the man, preparing a  _Gomu Gomu no Bazooka_. To Zora's horror, the gaping maw closed around Luffy, teeth snapping shut on rubber arms. She heard a muffle ' _Gomu Gomu no_ ' and then watched as the rubberman's arms snapped back, propelling the hippo-man off of the ship and out over the open water.

"Gah! Hurry, Wapol-sama sinks!"

The soldiers retreated, rushing back to their ship and departing to retrieve their less than buoyant leader.

'Morons.' thought Zora as they sailed away

* * *

The next day, Zora awoke to Sanji shouting something about land. Grumbling, she threw on a coat and made her way up to the deck. Vivi quickly explained the characteristics of the islands of the Grand Line, specifically that when the climate became steady, chances were there was a nearby island. Soon it became clear that this was one of the winter islands. Snow covered the landscaped, creating a sheet of white across the island.

"Remember Luffy," reminded Sanji, "We are here only to cure Nami-swan, we are not here for an adventure."

"Give it up ero-cook." Zora sighed, "Don't bother trying to stop him from going on an adventure, just focus on making sure the adventure is short."

"Wh-what if there's s-snow monsters." stammered Usopp, "My we-should-avoid-this-island-at-all-costs-itis is flaring up."

Zora smacked him with her  _saya_ , "If we don't land here, we don't find a doctor."

Merry drifted along one of the inlets that was created by melting snow and flowed in from the sea. Cylindrical mountains towered over the island and Luffy was still gushing over the wintery landscape before his eyes. 

"We should be able to dock here." Vivi looked over the rail of the ship, "First we need to find people and then see if we can find a doctor."

"I'll go." Luffy raised his hand

Sanji stepped forward, "Me too."

"Have fun!" called Ussop, purposefully standing a few strides behind the other two

"That's far enough,  _kaizoku_." called a voice

Along the banks on either side of Merry were a number of townsfolk, all armed and ready to fight. Zora scanned the men, most of them were holding their weapons in a way that meant business. These people knew how to fight, the question was, how well? A large man clad in green stepped forward.

"Pirates, we insist that you depart immediately from our shores."

"We came here to find a doctor." answered Luffy, "Our navigator is sick."

"You dare try to trick us?!" yelled one man

"This is  _our_ island!" cried another

"Get out of here you filthy pirates!"

One of the men made the mistake of firing a shot at Sanji. Vivi rushed to restrain the enraged blonde, only to be grazed by the shot when the man misfired. When Luffy turned on the men, furious that his  _nakama_ had been felled. The men responded by readying the firearms, prepared to shoot if the need arose. Zora readied her sword but as Luffy charged, Vivi grabbed him, begging him to wait. After halting Luffy, the princess bowed before the men, promising that the Mugiwara no Ichimi would not dock and asking that they summon a doctor. Zora was shocked when Luffy knelt and bowed as well.

"Very well, I will lead you to our village." relented the man in green, "Follow me." he turned and walked off, the rest of the men shouldering their weapons and trailing behind him

After docking, Zora agreed to remain on the ship while the rest went in search of a doctor. Shucking her boots, she rotated her ankles, testing to see if they were healed. She smiled and rocked back, kicking her feet in the air.

"See? All better!" Carue, the other left on the ship just shivered under his blanket, "No I can resume training!" she ginned, "Muscle training get tiring after a while and watching the ship is just plain boring." She stood and set her hands on her hips, "Time for some midwinter swimming!"

Stripping off her coat, she jumped down into the water below, though perhaps wearing only a short sleeve shirt, long pants and boots was not the smartest idea.

"It's  _cold!"_

The duck peered over the railing, giving her a look that read 'What did you expect?'

"Hey, Carue, come join me! This swim could do you some good!"

"Quaaaa!" the duck furiously shook his head

Taking a breath, Zora dove under, noting the surprising variety of fish swimming beneath her. She failed to notice the splash as Carue leaped in after her, thinking she was in danger of drowning since she had disappeared from the surface. Smiling to herself, Zora began swimming down the river and towards the other side of the island. Before she realized it, Merry was out of sight and she had absolutely no idea how to retrace her strokes back to the ship. Climbing on the bank, she began walking back in the direction she though Merry was.

'Stupid duck probably moved the ship.'

Trekking through the snow, she paused to take in her surroundings. When she face forward again, there was a sled with an old woman reclining in it. The sled was being pulled by a reindeer that, for some reason, was wearing a hat and pants. 

"Tsude, would you mind giving me a ride to the nearest town?" she glanced down, "Ano, why do you have your stomach showing when it's freezing out here?" her brow furrowed, "Are you crazy old lady?"

The woman beckoned her closer, "You should watch what you say..."

With astounding strength, the woman kicked Zora in the chest, flinging her off into a nearby snowbank. Zora vaguely heard the woman say something about 'young' and '130s'. If that was young, Zora didn't want to know what she considered ancient. Rising to her feet, Zora stood shivering in the snow, wondering what the old woman's issue was.

'It's fucking freezing out here.' Zora wrapped her arms around herself, 'Well, may as well try to warm up with some muscle training.'

After a few sets of push ups, crunches and chin ups  using a tree branch, Zora began single hand, handstand push ups. When she was reaching her twenty five thousandth, she felt the ground quake. She turned her head and, to her astonishment, saw an avalanche tumbling towards her. Moments later she was swept up in the wave of snow.

* * *

Zora awoke to the feeling of a foot stepping on her head. Miffed, she pushed herself up and broke through the snow covering her. Shivering, she turned and spotted Usopp and Vivi, she did a double take when she caught sight of Usopp. For some reason, the sniper's face was swollen almost to the point beyond recognition.

"Um, what are you two doing out here?"

"We were about to ask  _you_ the same thing!" snapped the two

"Oh, I was midwinter swimming." she explained, "Muscle training get boring after awhile. Anyway, I was swimming in the river and the next thing I knew I couldn't find Merry. I went ashore and then I couldn't find the river again." She shivered, "Oi, Usopp, lend me your coat."

"No way in hell."

"Shoes?"

"Hell no."

"Hey, look, there's people down there."

The three had made their way through the woods and were now at the edge of a town. Below them, the townsfolk appeared to be at a standoff with some soldiers. Zora found the soldiers' uniforms to be vaguely familiar. Ussop then stated that the village seemed familiar and, after a glance around, Vivi confirmed his suspicions, identifying the village as Big Horn.

"Stand down!" demanded one of the soldiers, "Dalton is already dead!"

"That wasn't enough to kill Dalton!" claimed on of the villagers

"You were once Dalton-san's soldiers." stated another, "Don't you feel anything?"

"We only serve our king, Wapol-sama! Those who oppose him shall not live!"

Zora wandered up behind one of the men, "Hey, what's going on here?"

"What's going on with the way you're dressed?!" the man clearly didn't understand the point of a midwinter swim decided Zora

"Dalton-san was buried in the avalanche." explained one of the men, "Because of them," he gestured to the soldiers, "We are unable to dig him out."

"Stand back!" repeated the lead soldier, "Anyone with a problem can come forward and try their best. Feel free to try and fail!"

"Usopp, I recognize those uniforms." Zora paused to shiver, "They're the same as the guys we met at sea. Right?"

"Ah, yeah, same guys."

"So they're the bad guys."

"I guess."

"So they're our enemies."

"Sure?"

The lead soldier threw back his head and laughed, "Are you guys that afraid without Dalton?"

Dashing forward, Zora drove her knee into the man's abdomen, folding him over. Crouching down, Zora quickly rid the man of his winter long coat, throwing it on.

"Ahh, nice and warm. I think I'll borrow this."

"You attacked him for that?!" cried Ussop

The soldiers advanced on Zora, recognizing her as the swordsman who had been on board the Mugiwaras' ship. They charged her, swords raise, but Zora slipped under their guard and dodged all of their strikes, swiping a blade from the loose grip of three of the soldiers.

"Looking for these?" she held up the three swords, "They aren't the best, but they'll do."

"Kill him!" ordered the lead soldier

Rushing in, Zora executed a swift  _Taka Nami_ _,_ making sure to strike harder, but with the back of the blade.

'Pathetic.' she thought to herself, letting the stolen swords fall to the ground, their blades holding them upright in the snow

"Good work Zoro!" leave it to Usopp to start bragging, "Just as I said to do!"

Zora made her way back to Usopp and Vivi, ignoring the villagers rushing past her with shovels, no doubt eager to uncover their buried leader. When she asked for an explanation, Usopp told her that it would have to wait for later, the top priority was to recover this so-called Dalton. He, along with Vivi and the rest o the townsfolk began relentlessly digging in the snow, searching for the man.

"Stop standing around and help out!" demanded Usopp when he saw Zora standing off to the side and watching the proceedings

"Found him!" called one for the men

Ussop dropped his shovel, "Finally!"

"Seriously, who is this guy?" asked Zora as people rushed past her

She watched as some of the men hastily scraped away excess snow, revealing a large man clad in green, the one who had stopped them earlier before they had docked. One of the men wailed that the man in green no longer had a heartbeat. As Vivi desperately tried to wake the man, Zora felt a presence emerge from behind one of the houses. A group of men, all wearing pink operating gowns stepped out from behind the house.

"The Isshi-20." whispered one of the men near Zora

"He is alive. He is merely frozen." diagnosed one of the men

"Will you allow us to treat him?" asked another

At her questioning look, Usopp explained how there were doctors in the country, but all of them were drafted as Wapol's personal medical force. The village men refused to entrust their beloved leader to doctors they associated with Wapol. At their resistance, the lead doctor admitted that, though they worked for Wapol, their only reason for doing so was so that they could continue their medical research and expand their knowledge. All of their work was so that they had the means to cure those in need. Convinced, the men allowed the doctors to bring the green clad man into one of the houses, leaving Zora along with Vivi, Ussop and the rest of the village to wait.

* * *

 

Zora yawned as she leaned against a ffence, waiting for someone to get out of surgery was boring as hell. Off to the side, Zora saw Vivi talking to Ussop, no doubt the princess was worried and Nami's condition. She heard Usopp preach about his trust in his  _nakama_. Frowning she marched over and began poking Ussop in the forehead.

"Bullshit, you're just scared to climb that mountain."

"Y-you heard them!" defended Usopp, "There's abominable snowmen, bears and monster rabbits!"

Zora rolled her eyes, "Look, Luffy's with them, if they get in trouble I'm sure he'll find a way out." she shook her head, "Sencho has ridiculous luck."

"If you consider finding every possible source of trouble luck." muttered Usopp

"Dalton-san, wait!"

The man in green staggered outside, using his paddle-shaped blade to support himself.

"Seriously, who is this guy?" someone had yet to tell Zora who his man was and why he was so important

Catching his breath, the man claimed that he could not allow Wapol to enter the castle, Zora assumed he meant the castle atop the mountain. The man, Dalton, asked his fellow villagers, if he did not fight now, when would he? And if Wapol reclaimed his title of king, the country would be subject to tyranny once again. She watched as Usopp stood in front of the man, blocking his path. He knelt, asking that Dalton allow him to help him to the castle, even if it meant carrying him. As much as she admired Usopp's determination, Zora couldn't help but wonder how he would carry the man all the way up to the castle. And that was without factoring in that Dalton was almost twice Ussop's size.

"Move over, dumbass."

Rolling her eyes and smacking Ussop, Zora hefted the man over her shoulder and began to walk towards the mountain. Her progress was halted when one of the man called out to her, telling her that if they were that determined to reach the mountain, there was a white rope way stretching from the castle to a giant tree in the neighboring town of Gyasta. 

"Well, which way is Gyasta?"

* * *

The way by rope ended up being a large, glorified lift, Zora was almost positive they exceeded the weight limit. Despite Usopp's protests, some of the village men had insisted on joining them. As they  _very slowly_ made their ascent, Zora peered down at the island below. It was rather pretty, even after an avalanche. Things got a bit crowded when Dalton decided to cough up blood, Zora was shoved aside by the village men as they tried to rush to their leader. Vivi's concerned repetition of Dalton's name did little to hep the situation.

'Honestly, give the guy some space.'

Zora narrowed he eyes when she saw Dalton reach into his coat, her instincts proved right when he reveal a cache of dynamite clutched in his hand.

"Everyone, take cover once I enter the castle."

"Are you an idiot?" asked Zora, "Don't die when you can definitely live."

If it's one thing her fight with Mihawk taught her, it was that defeat did not always mean death. Not that she hadn't heard that lesson before, Falk had been rather insistent that she remember that particular lesson.

"Look, there's someone on top of the castle!" shouted one of the men as he pointed at one of the castle towers

Looking out, Zora saw the top of one of the towers crumble and some projecting shot into the air by one of Luffy's attacks. As it soared past them, she noted that Wapol seemed much thinner than she remembered. No matter, it seemed like Luffy had taken care of things just fine, with the typical amount of collateral damage.

"Alright everyone!" Usopp was the first out of the lift when the reached the castle, "Follow-oi, Zoro, wait up!"

Zora walked right past the sniper, making her way up the stairs to the mountain surface. Stepping outside into the crisp air, she swatted at Usopp who had cowered behind her when the reached the top of the stairs. Looking up when she heard a shout, she saw Luffy careening towards her from the top of the damaged tower.  
"Luffy?"

"Oh, Zora, Usopp." In a classic landing, Luffy crashed into Zora, toppling the two of them into the snow, "Zora...whose coat?"

Sitting up, Luffy still lying across he legs, Zora shook the snow out of her hair, "Took it from one of Wapol's soldiers. They were causing trouble in town so I beat them and took a coat."

"Ah, souka." he grinned, "I thought Usopp was couldn't climb."

"We took a lift." answered Zora before the sniper could defend himself

"Shishishi." Luffy stood, allowing Zora to stand up, "That's cheating."

"Are Nami-san and Sanji-san alright?" asked Vivi when she made it outside

"Yeah, they're fine."

"What a relief."

Zora turned to Luffy as Usopp continued his monologue of how he had vanquish some sort of creature or another, "So, why were you on top of the castle?"

"Beating up a king."

Dalton emerged from the staircase entrance, "So that person who flew by was Wapol?"

"Yep."

"And his two cronies?"

"They got beat up by the reindeer." the rubberman turned to Zora, "I found us a new  _nakama_."

Zora arched a brow, 'found' or 'drafted', one could never be sure with Luffy. She noticed movement behind Dalton. 'Hiding', or at least trying to, was a small reindeer wearing pants and a red hat. Dalton seemed amazed when he noticed the furry little guy's blue nose. Zora sighed when the large man kneeled and then bowed to the reindeer, apologizing and praising him at the same time. Some things were best left unquestioned.

" _BAKEMONO!"_ shouted Usopp, successfully panicking the reindeer and causing him to run into the forest

"DON'T CALL HIM A MONSTER!" Luffy slammed his fist into the top of Ussop's head, "He's the new  _nakama_ I found."

Luffy dashed off after the fleeing reindeer. Zora shook her head, leave it to Luffy to recruit a reindeer.

The rest of the night was spend listening to Luffy call for the reindeer, trying to convince the little guy to join the Mugiwara crew. Eventually, the reindeer appeared from behind one of the castle walls, insisting that, as much as he would like to join the crew, he was unable to since he was still technically a reindeer. As the cloven hoofed creature explained his reasons, Zora spotted Nami and Vivi dragging an unresponsive, and probably unconscious, Sanji out of the castle. Apparently they had escaped the clutches of the skilled, but frankly terrifying doctor.

"Shut up!" cried Luffy after the reindeer had tried to explain why he couldn't be their  _nakama_ , "Let's Go!"

'Since when was 'shut up' an invitation?' wondered Zora

While the reindeer went ot bid his farewells to his friend and his home, Ussop and Luffy went to set up the rope way. A commotion erupted from the castle and, moments later, the reindeer can rushing out of the castle gates, sleigh trailing behind him. Chasing him was the old woman, swinging a spike flail above her head.

"Get in! We're going down the mountain!"

Zora didn't need to be told twice, that old woman was scary enough without the medieval weapons she was throwing at them. The reindeer, Nami introduced him as Tony Tony Chopper,  raced down the rope, hooves practically flying over the twisted cord, sleigh gliding behind him. Hearing cannon fire from the mountain behind them, the crew did stop until they had reached Merry. Looking back towards the peaks, they saw an amazing sight. An explosion of pink had erupted from the mountain top, cloaking the peak in a cloud of rose colored snow. The snow gave the mountain the appearance of a blooming sakura tree, petals swirling about in a whirl of wind. Zora smiled, the scene reminded her of the sakura festival back in Shimostuki Village. The scene clearly was symbolic of something of great importance to the reindeer, given his bawling and tear filled eyes.

When they reached the ship, Carue was found, frozen into what Luffy had dubbed a 'duck-cicle'.

"Carue, why were you frozen in the river?" asked Vivi

"Poor duck probably slipped and fell in." stated Zora

Chopper's ears twitched, "He said some Zoro guy went swimming and when he didn't see him, he decided to jump in and see if he could find him."

"Zoro..." Nami's tone promised pain

"Oi, don't hit Zor-ow."

Zora had taken the liberty to stomp on Luffy's foot, "You were saying something Sencho?"

When Vivi asked how he ha been able to understand Carue's quacks, the little deer explained that, since he was technically a reindeer, he was about to speak to and understand animals. Nami then explained to the rest that not only could Chopper talk to other animals, he was also a doctor. With the knowledge and training he had received firsthand from Dr. Kureha, he was more than capable, even if he wasn't technically certified.

'Leave it to Luffy to find a talking reindeer who is a first-class doctor.' mused Zora as Merry sailed off towards Alabasta

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Glacé - glazed  
> Hime - princess  
> Bakemono - monster


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, here's an update. Currently dealing with some racist teacher who's managed to piss me off at least twice every class. Anyway, thanks for reading and please leave any comments, questions or ideas.

The next morning, Zora awoke from her mid-morning nap to fin Chopper copying one of Luffy's favorite pastimes; sitting on Merry's prow and watching the ocean around the ship.

"Sugoi, it's huge!"

"Shishishi, the best thing about being a pirate is having adventures on the whole ocean!"

"What's that?" Chopper was pointing at the huge bird flying overhead, its shadow dwarfing Merry

"A seagull."

"How the hell is that thing a seagull?" asked Nami when she heard Vivi's answer

"Oi, Seagull!"

Nami smack Luffy upside the head, "What did you do that for?! You called it and now it's coming towards us!"

Zora did a double take, since what did seagulls have teeth? The bird swooped down and as it took off, Zora noticed a very important detail; Luffy was missing from the ship's prow.

"Don't get eaten you dumbass!" she Nami called to her idiot captain as he flew by, dangling from the seagull's beak

Shrugging, she went back to playing cards with Usopp and Sanji. As they shuffled and dealt, Chopper ran circles around them, panicking at the fact that Luffy had been carried off by the bird.

"This is no time to be playing cards!"

Zora rolled her eyes, "Did he ask for help?"

"No?"

"Then he's fine." She drew from the deck

Deciding his joyride was over, Luffy freed himself from the bird and dropped them both onto Merry's deck, crashing into the card playing trio. Looking around, Luffy called for Sanji to make some food, why not take advantage of a giant bird? Usopp was about to complain, apparently he had had a decent hand, but Zora ignored him, instead giving the downed bird a scan.

"Hmm, seems like a good meal."

Usopp was shocked by her words, "We can eat this?"

"We've eaten sea king, how is this any different?" Usopp couldn't argue with her

"Enough goofing around." Nami made her way to the back of the ship, "We're about to land in Alabasta."

The crew explained to Chopper what Alabasta was and why they were there. The little deer was adorably naive when it came to new around the Grand Line.

"Crocodile, I wanna meet him." Luffy, carefree as always

Vivi frowned, "Crocodile is considered a hero in Alabasta. He saves towns from invading pirates. But that is just a disguise. In the shadows, he is the head of a rebellion against my father. He couldn't care less about the people of my country.

"Yosh, so I just need to kick this guy's ass, right?"

"I guess. If we can stop the rebellion, we can drive off Baroque Works."

"Hah?"

Vivi quickly explained Baroque Works to Luffy, it figured that rubberman still didn't realized the entirety of the situation.

"At the top is Crocodile, Mr. 0, and there are thirteen agents who report directly to him; twelve men and one animal. A female agent is pair with them and they compliment each others abilities. Mr. 1 and Miss Doublefinger. Mr. 2 doesn't have a partner. Mr. 3 is the one we met in Little Garden; he is paired with Miss Goldenweek. Mr. 4 and Miss MerryChristmas make up the Mr. 4 pair. You already know Mr. 5 and his partner, Miss Valentine."

"She means booger-bomb guy and the annoying lady with the umbrella." Zora explained to Luffy

Vivi nodded, "All agents from Mr. 5 and up are 'Oficer Agents'; they all have an Akuma no Mi ability. They only appear if the mission is very important.Mr. 6 through Mr. 13 are in charge of leading employees and gathering funds at Whiskey Peak. Mr. 13 and Miss Friday are the Unluckies. They are the punishers and are in charge of dealing with those who fail to complete their orders."

"What about the rest?"

"Officer Agents had 200 followers called 'billions', basically foot soldiers. and Frontier Agents have 1,800 followers called 'millions'. This is what makes up Baroque Works."

Ussop did some quick math, "There are 2,000 people!"

"So I just have to kick Crocodile's ass. Yosh!" cheered Luffy

"If this is the last part of Baroque Works' plans," Zora frowned, "Then all these 'Officer Agents'..."

"Are probably gathered in Alabasta." finished Nami

"Right, so I just need to kick Crocodile's-"

"SHUT UP LUFFY!" chorused the three

Annoyed, Zora decided to resume one of her favorite activities, napping.

* * *

 The screams of a drowning...person...woke Zora. Sitting up, sh was graced by the sight of Ussop hauling some...person...out of the water. The man(?) was dressed in some sort of 'outfit' with ballet slippers and a swan cape or something, Zora wasn't quite sure. 

"Oh...I thought I was done for." gasped the man, "You have my thanks." he paused, "Wait, my life has been save by pirates who I do not know, swan swan."

'Is it too much to ask for a 'normal' visitor?' mused Zora

"I will never forget your kindness. Would it be too much to ask for bow of warm food?"

"We don't have any!" chorused the crew

"Oh, hello." the man looked up to where Vivi was standing on the cabin deck, "Are you cute~! I could just eat you up~!" Vivi visibly recoiled

"You're strange." stated Luffy, "And you can't swim."

"Yes, I ate an Akuma no mi." explained the man

"Which one?" asked Usopp

"Well, I guess I have some free time, seeing as my ship has gotten lost." the man stood, "I suppose I can put on a show. Prepare to witness my ability!" he palm-heeled Luffy in the face

Zora unsheathed  _Yubashiri_ and  _Kitetsu_ in an instant, "What the hell do you think your doing to my-our captain?"

" _Matte matte matte!"_ cried the swan man, "I was just putting on a show!" he said...while wearing Luffy's face

"The fuck?"

"Surprise!" cackled the man, "Left hand, normal; right hand, copy! Behold the power of the Mane Mane no Mi!"he tapped each of the crew on the cheek, "Though hitting someone isn't actually necessary." he swiped his right hand over his face, "I can copy anyone's face, voice, even their body."

He went to open his shirt but, since his current face was a copy of her's, Zora punched him in the face, knocking him down before he revealed her secret. At Luffy's begging, the man showed some of the other faces he had copied. Off to the side, Nami and Zora watched as the newcomer entertained the 'children' of the crew. Shaking her head at their antics, Zora sat back as Nami leaned on the railing. Sensing the approach of something, Zora glanced over her shoulder. Some pink monstrosity was sailing right towards them.

"Oh, that's my cue!" the man practically sang, "My ship has arrived! The tragic time to part is upon us."

"Please don't go." pleaded Usopp

"Journey and farewell, the two go hand in hand." stated the man, "But remember this: To true friendship...time is but a word~!"

"Welcome back, Mr. 2 Bon Clay-sama!"

Zora's jaw dropped, they had welcomed a Baroque Works Officer Agent onto the ship and had realized nothing. At least now they knew part of his Akuma no Mi ability. When asked why she hadn't recognized him, Vivi admitted that she had never met the Mr. 1 pair or Mr. 2 and had not known what their abilities were.

"I did hear rumors though." the princess said, "Mr. 2 is a flamboyant ballerina who was described as 'loud and proud'. He is also said to wear a swan coat with the words 'Bon Clay' written on the back."

"You should have noticed." muttered Zora

Luffy frowned, "What's wrong Vivi?"

"Just now...my father's face was one of the ones he showed you from memory." she fell to her knees, "He has the face of Alabasta's king, Nefertari Cobra, in his memory."

Zora's brow furrowed, "This is bad. If you can impersonate the king, you have a lot of options." 

"We just let a pretty powerful enemy escape." agreed Ussop

"He was a bad guy?" poor naive little Chopper

"He could impersonate any one of us." realized Nami, "If he finds out we're his enemy, and decides to do something, we won't be able to tell who our  _nakama_ are."

"Not necessarily." Zora smirked, "Now that we know what he can do, we can take countermeasures."

A few more minutes of sailing and Merry enter Alabasta's climate zone, noted when Nami stated that the wind and sea currents had stabilized. Behind them, a fleet of ships had weighed anchor in the sea, the words 'Baroque Works' clearly visible on their sails along with the organizations symbol.

"Employees are gathering. Those are probably the Billions."

Nami agreed with Vivi, "Ah, I doubt 200 will be easy to take care of."

"Indeed, they are 200 of Baroque Works' elite. They are on a whole different level than the bounty hunters at Whiskey Peak."

Zora shook her head when Luffy and Ussop readied Merry's  _single_ cannon, "Don't bother, we have bigger fish to fry."

"Fish? Where?"

"It's a figure of speech..."

"But I'm huuuunnggrryyyy!"

Preparing to dock, the crew each tied a white strip of cloth around their forearm, this way they would be able to differentiate between one of their  _nakama_ and Mr. 2; even Carue was given a strip. As they approached the port of Nanohara, Vivi instructed them to hide Merry.

"Whatever happens from now on, this left arm," Luffy had out his arm, "is the mark of a  _nakama!"_ He grinned, "Now, onto dry land!"

"To EAT!/Alabasta!"

The crew all turned towards Luffy, "Sort out your priorities!"

"Wari."

* * *

"So this is what an Alabasta city looks like." Zora rolled her eyes, what exactly did Ussop expect?

"I'm only going to say this once." warned Nami, "I expect you all to be on your best behavior at all times."

"Hai, Nami-swaan~!"

"FOOOOOOD!" Luffy grabbed Zora around the waste and took off running towards the city

'Some times I wonder if Sencho's part bloodhound.' mused Zora, 'He always seems to know where food is.'

She vaguely heard Nami scream something about 'Get your ass back here Luffy!' but they were already halfway to the city. When the were within the city limit, Zora kicked Luffy in the knee, cause him to stumble and slow down enough that she could get him to stop.

"Oi, Sencho, we need to find some disguises." Luffy blinked, not understanding, "Luffy, you have a bounty and chances are there are Baroque Works agents crawling all around this city. Answer me this, if we were in a crowd of people, would you be able to recognize me?"

"Duh, Zora has green hair."

"Yeah? Well if you can recognize me, then so can everyone else, including our enemies."

"Oh, so Zora doesn't want use to get caught."

"Right."

"Here." Luffy sat his straw hat on her head, "Now no one can see Zora's hair!" grasping her wrist, he took off in pursuit of food, Zora stumbling along behind him

"Slow down you idiot!"

As they past stall after stall of merchants selling good, Zora swipe some clothes from one of the salesmen. Convincing Luffy to stop was practically impossible, so she just threw on a cloak and kept a hand on Luffy's hat to keep it from flying off in the rubberman's rush for food. She was unable to keep him inside the city, Luffy's dash had them run straight through Nonohara and into the desert beyond.

"Oh look, a building."

Zora smacked him, "Luffy, where the hell are we?"

"I dunno, but there's a building."

Ambling over to the house, Zora noted that this was definitely  _not_ a restaurant. No one appeared to be home, and Luffy knelt down by one of the barrels sitting in front of the house. Turning the knob on the tap extending from the barrel, the rubberman attempted to drink.

"Zooorraaa! It's empty!"

"Hmm." Zora made her way over to the rubberman, only to stumble over a pile of sacks, "The hell?"

"Ooh, did you find food?"

Opening the sacks reveals a cache of green powder that was definitely not food. Luffy, the idiot he was, decided to taste some of the powder.

"Blech! Zora, this taste terrible!  _Mizu!"_

 Annoyed, Luffy took the sacks and threw them into an open furnace situated by the side of the cottage. Slamming the door shut, he glared at the furnace. What Zora found strange was that the smoke coming from the furnace chimney turned from a typical smokey grey to dark green. It condensed about the house and soon rain began to fall from the sky. Well, fall may have been an understatement. It  _poured_.

"Ooh,  _ame_. Yay! Water!"

"What's going on!" a stout man with a rather sharp looking blade dashed out of the house, "What happened to all the bags?!" he turned on Zora and Luffy, "What the hell did you do?!"

"Who are you?" asked Luffy as Zora set her hand on  _Yubashiri_

"Shut up, what happened to those bags of powder?"

"I burned them."

"WHAT?!"

"My Dance Powder..." whimpered the man, "The treasure of my pasture..." he glared at the two pirates, "How dare you!"

Jumping away fro the man's frantic swings, Zora glanced at Luffy. Her captain seems surprised, but unconcerned.

"Can't you just replace it?" asked Zora

"It's sale and manufacture are prohibited throughout the entire world!" snapped the man

"Huh?" The man clapped his hands over his mouth

"So you're a criminal."

"I suppose...now, DIE!"

Zora narrowed her eyes and, when the man attacked, booted Luffy out of the way and threw a flurry of punches at the man. When he went to rise again, she kicked him in the face. Thoroughly beaten, the man offered the two pirates some of the water that had collected in a basin next to the house.

"You sure are strong aren't you?"

Luffy nodded, "Zora is the strongest."

"Not with that power, I suppose not." Zora rolled her eyes, flattery rarely did anything, "My apologies for earlier."

"Shishishi, sorry for burning up all you powder."

"Haha, no problem just, uh, don't mention it. To anyone. I'm serious."

Zora crossed her arm ad leaned against the house, "What is that stuff anyway?"

"It is called Dance Powder." explained the man, "Also known as Rain-Calling Powder. The powder is able to create artificial rainfall, like the downpour earlier. The powder synthesizes a rain inducer in the atmosphere which is called the 'core'. Water droplets gather in the core and when there are enough, it rains."

"So it's a Mystery Powder."

"Sure."

"Why make it rain artificially?" asked Zora

"You two aren't from around here are you?"

"No shit."

Well, Alabasta has been at war against drought since ancient times. This country has always been short on water. In recent years that drought has been even worse than usual; there has been very little rainfall. Many of the oases have dried up."

"Why not use Mystery Powder?"

Zora thumped Luffy on the head, "He was just getting to that."

"According to the World Government, Dance Powder is illegal. Its use is punishable by death. It is said that the rebellion in this country is also caused by this drought."

"So you plan to make it rain to save the country?" Luffy could be such an idiot

"No you moron." Zora sighed, "Chances are if you can make water you can make a profit."

"Exactly." agreed the man

"I don't care about that." Luffy stood, "Let's go Zora, I want food."

"Ahaha, please don't mention this to anyone."

"Whatever." Zora adjusted Luffy's hat so that it shielded her eyes, "Let's go Sencho." she called over her shoulder to the man, "It's not like we could tell anyone anyway, we're pirates."

* * *

 Walking through the desert with Luffy was just plain painful. As much as Zora care for the fool, there was only so much complaining she could deal with. After the fifth complaint for food in the past three minutes, Zora gave up and just quickened her pace, dragging Luffy behind her. IN the distance she saw the silhouettes of buildings.

"Hey, Luffy, looks like there's a town up ahead."

"Town?" Luffy perked up, " _FOOD!"_

Zora barely had time to wrap her arms around Luffy's shoulders before the rubberman had taken off towards the town, running as fast as he could. Racing through the edge of town, Luffy began searching for thee source of the smell he had picked up. Zora was more concerned about losing Luffy in the streets of town. Up ahead was a restaurant name the Spice Bean. Charging towards it, Luffy, with Zora clinging to his shoulders, hurtled towards the eatery. Stretching his arms ahead of him, Luffy prepared to dive in for food.

" _Gomu Gomu no-_ "

" _LUFFY!"_

_"-Rocket!"_

The two Mugiwara pirates were flung towards the restaurant, Luffy cackling the entire way. The rubberman collided with someone and the who group rocketed into another man, the impact sending the two men crashing through the wall. Zora staggered to her feet, wondering what they had hit. Luffy had already seated himself and was ready to order and eat.

"Food~! Food~! Food~!"

Shaking her head, Zora took the seat next to her idiot captain, ignoring the stares they had garnered from the rest of the restaurant goers. While she downed her wine, Luffy gobble up the various plates of food the owner had graciously provided him with. She chose to ignore the rather large hole in thee wall created from their earlier crash landing.

"Um, you should probably get out of here." warned the owner

"Why?"

"You do know  _who_ you just sent flying right?"

Zora was in the middle of drinking so Luffy answered, "Someone got sent flying? Who did it?"

"You."

"Really? To who?" The owner pointed at the whole in his wall, "What's the hole for?"

"You cause it!"

Suddenly, the owner and the remaining restaurant goers fled to the other side of the room, away from the whole. Stepping through the rubble was a young man with dark hair and freckles.

"Oi, Lu-!"

" _MUGIWARA!_ " Smoker, the man from Loguetown, pushed past the other man, slamming him into the ground

'Shit, Smoker's here.' Zora crouched down and readied  _Wadou_

"I've been looking for you Mugiwara." snarled Smoker as he came to stand in front of Luffy and Zora, "I knew you'd be here in Alabasta." Luffy continued eating while Zora edged towards the door, "Stop eating!" roared Smoker as Luffy stuffed another forkful of pasta into his mouth

It was obvious when Luffy finally recognized the marine, "You're that smokey guy! What are you doing here?!" food spewed from Luffy's mouth, splattering Smoker's face an the front of his jacket

"You-"

" _Chotto matte!"_ Stuffing the rest of his food in his mouth, Luffy jumped up, grabbed Zora by the back of her cloak and ran out the door

"Wait, you bastard!" Smoker was hot on his heels

"Wait, Luffy, it's me!" the young man from before had recovered and was pursuing them as well

Being dragged behind Luffy as he fled was not a fun experience. People, carts and stalls all flew past and the rubberman bolted. When Smoker called on the rest of the marines to pursue the two pirates, Luffy took to the rooftops after dodging a swipe from Smoker's female subordinate, Tashigi if Zora remembered correctly. As a Logia, Smoker had no trouble pursuing the two along the rooftops. Zora internally groaned. Of course Smoker's sword freak of an officer was here too.

" _Howaito Sunēku!"_

At the sight of the reaching smoke, Luffy increased his pace, skipping from rooftop to rooftop.

"Why are you here Mugiwara!"

"I'm hear to kick Crocodile's ass!"

"Crocodile? What connection do you have with him?!"

All of a sudden, the ground dropped beneath Luffy feet, cause the rubberman and Zora to fall into one of the alleys. Despite the sudden change in height, Luffy jumped up, grabbed Zora's wrist, and sprinted like his life depended on it. Though in all honesty it probably did. Soon a horde of marines were pursuing the two pirates, all calling out for them to stop. Zora huffed, like anyone being chased would stop just because you asked.

"Oh, Sanji!"

Spying the rest of the Mugiwara crew behind a stone wall, Luffy ran over towards them. Zora groaned but follwed; Luffy had an iron grip on her wrist.

"Idiot! Don't come over here until you've lost them!" cried Nami and Ussop

"It's the Mugiwara no Ichimi! After them!"

_"Howaito Burō!"_ Smoker's smoke reached out towards Luffy

" _Kagerō!"_

A column of flame shot out and negated the smoke attack. The flames condensed, transforming into the young man Zora had seen earlier in the restaurant.

"Give it up." called the man, "You may be smoke, but I am fire. You should know as well as I that trying to fight would be useless."

"Who the hell is this guy?" asked Usopp, "Why is he helping us?"

"Ace." apparently Luffy knew this newcomer

"You never change, do you Luffy?" the man grinned

"Ace...you ate an Akuma no Mi?"

"Yeah, Mera Mera no Mi." replied the man before turning back towards the marines, "We can't talk like this, run for it! I'll catch up later!"

"Luffy, who the hell is that?" asked Zora and she and the rest of the crew followed Luffy's lead, fleeing the scene and leaving Ace to handle the marines

"He's my brother!" Luffy's smile was practically contagious, "He's Ace!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Matte - wait  
> Mizu - water  
> Ame - rain  
> Chotto matte - please wait


End file.
